The Summer Trials
by phys-nut
Summary: COMPLETE! To stave off a summer of bordom after their NEWTs, Albus and Scorpius signed up for the Fairytale Trials. Now Scorpius is under an enchanted sleep, and Albus is riding about on his "noble steed," to find him and save the day. Slash! AS/S
1. Wake Up and Smell The Pumpkin Juice!

**Title: **The Summer Trials

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** none, any mistakes are mine alone!

**Summary:** [this chapter] Scorpius' first time at a muggle carnival.

**Word Count: **4,425

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** um, none really, cept the gayness, heehee!

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine, it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions!

**A/N: **howaya! right, this here is my submission for the AS/S Summer Carnival, and i'm on the last chapter now, so i thought i'd start posting it up here! i'll be posting the chapters up once a week, prob every weekend. there will be ten chapters and then an epilogue, and no fear of it being left discontinued seeing as it's already finished! i hope you all enjoy it!

**Chapter One: Wake Up and Smell The Pumpkin Juice!**

James Potter was manning the Tunnel of Love. He was also wearing a top hat. As if that wasn't strange enough, one hand held a regal-looking cane and the other a metal cone of some sort, which he was speaking into, his voice booming across the area around him. It was surreal – what was James doing working at the muggle carnival? – and by the way, what was he himself doing at a muggle carnival Scorpius wondered, it was unnatural!

A happy sigh drew Scorpius' attention away from the auburn-haired Potter, and he spied the reason for his being in this hole of non-magic destitute. Albus. Of course. Scorpius suddenly remembered why he was here: Albus, after a thorough, demonstrative and gigantic project on projectors (involving many shadow puppet shows and the projection of a picture of a muggle movie star who made all the girls swoon, onto the school roof, which Albus had coerced Scorpius into covering with a giant white sheet.), Albus had been awarded two tickets to a muggle carnival by his muggle studies teacher. And of course, despite the fact that he would never in a million years partake in muggle studies, as Albus' best friend, Scorpius was the victim of choice to be subjected to a day of muggleness. Not that he had anything against muggles or anything, he quite liked them, though if his father ever found out…anyway, that wasn't the point! The point was that it was the first day of his summer holidays, and Albus had shown up at his door at the crack of dawn (or midday, whatever) to floo him to merlin-knows-where for an afternoon of mechanical and odd food goodness. And listening to the eldest Potter ramble on as enigmatically as ever, it seemed.

"Step right up Ladies and Gentlemen, and enter the Tunnel of Love! Share this most intimate of moments with your date, your crush, your lover! Dare you bear your heart to the possibility of ecstasy, or a sever crushing? Dare you admit your true feelings? For we cannot deny our emotions, cannot possibly run from them or ignore them, for they consume our very being, and none so much as love. That's the way we are wired. It's the way we're wired. It sucks, but it's just a fact of nature. It's also tragic. Truly, the only way to deal with it is to GIVE IN," he finished with a dark chuckle, catching Scorpius' eye and giving him a wink.

Scorpius started, and shook his head as he wondered why James was quoting Adventureland (and just HOW did Scorpius know what Adventureland was? There must be something up with that metal cone, it must be charmed or something). James Potter was a bit of an odd sort. A perfect mixture of his parents good attributes, always charismatic and surprisingly philosophical at times, he was wanted by all the girl and half the boys in Hogwarts (the rest of the boys were just too in the closet to admit anything), and while he had snogged more than his fair share, and was affectionate with his friends, he was surprisingly aloof with relationships, and held rather darkly poetic views on love and such. James proclaimed himself 'one cool hep-cat,' and had all sorts of handy phrases like 'quite jiving me turkey,' 'do you dig it?' and 'I don't need some piece of skirt blocking my groovy flow!' All this and his earrings he attributed to his uncle Charlie. Albus added that it also resulted from eighteen years of mooning over Teddy, who was too oblivious to notice anything.

"You're musing, aren't you?" Albus sighed exasperatedly, "We're in one of the coolest places EVER and you're musing! No no, that shall not be happening today I say!" and with that, he took a hold of Scorpius' hand and started dragging him along.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and caught up with his friend so they were walking along hand-in-hand; just like James, Albus was affectionate with his friends, overly so with Scorpius. Scorpius, who had been brought up with a less-than-affectionate hand, wondered at times why he allowed Albus to be his friend. And then Albus smiled at him, like he was smiling now: the smile that promised him everything…for a price of course. It was pure Slytherin, and made Scorpius' knees wobble dangerously.

"Wanna know what I'm thinking?" Albus said slyly, still smiling that damn smile.

"I thought there was to be none of that today," Scorpius sneered, rolling his eyes.

"Thinking and musing are two very different things Scorp old boy," Albus replied jovially, "And what I am thinking, is that I have come up with a theme for the day!"

"Really?" Scorpius asked, trying, but failing to hide his interest.

He and Albus, in an attempt to avoid boredom, gave each day a theme by which to act. It started off with simple things like 'Opposite' and 'Green,' but had become more and more strange and complex the older they got.

"Yes," Albus smirked, eyes glinting wickedly "It is, Win or Lose."

"That's not really a theme," Scorpius said slowly, "How does it work? How do you know if you've won or lost?"

"It's up to interpretation," Albus grinned, "That's the beauty of it."

Scorpius thought about it, then slowly nodded, replying, "Okay, win or lose it is."

"Great," Albus beamed, "Now that that's settled, I want candy floss!"

Scorpius didn't know what candy floss was, but if Albus wanted it then come hell or high water, Albus would get it. As they passed by the Tunnel of Love, waving at James, Scorpius heard a song pouring out from it. One he would have recognized anywhere, though he was more used to hearing it coming from the music box in their dorm room. "Carnival," by the Cardigans was one of Albus' favourite songs. More specifically, it was his, 'I've got a crush on someone but I don't think they're interested,' song, and Scorpius had heard it briefly in first year, and then steadily from fourth year onwards. Scorpius had heard it every time before Albus had gotten with his latest girlfriend or boyfriend. It would be absent during the relationship, and for a while after it had ended, but inevitably it would start playing again. Strangely enough, Albus had been playing it continually during the past year, without any indication as to who it was he was mooning over, or if he was going to make a move. When Scorpius confronted him about this (he was sick of hearing the damn song, and most definitely NOT worried about Albus' mental and emotional health), Albus retorted that Scorpius was a hypocrite. Scorpius admitted he had a point, but it wasn't exactly as if he could just say, "Well Albus, that's because the person I've had a crush on for the past four years is in fact you." Oh no, that would never do. And so it continued on with Albus mooning and Scorpius becoming increasingly annoyed (worried). And now the song was playing here. Lovely. Albus stiffened slightly, but continued on, squeezing Scorpius' hand tight. Scorpius squeezed back and his friend shot him that smile, and Scorpius' knees threatened to go all wobbly again. Luckily, they had reached the candyfloss stall, where Scorpius could lean, and the beaming face of Ginny Potter met them from the other side of the counter.

"Hello boys!" she said, "Candy floss?"

"Please," Albus nodded eagerly.

Chuckling, Ginny turned and got two bags of candyfloss ready. Turning back, she handed a bag to Albus, who immediately started digging in, while Scorpius watched with a mixture of fascination and disgust at how messy the whole process was.

"Scorpius?"

Scorpius turned to see Ginny holding a bag of pink sugar fluff in front of him.

"Would you like some? It's very sweet."

Sweet. There was only one thing that Scorpius knew was sweet, and that was Albus. Everything about him was sweet; his messy hair, his eyes, his nature, personality, smile, the savage way he ate that candy floss…even his slytherin-ness was sweet, and naturally, there was no way he could ever have it – could ever want it. Sweet things weren't good for you.

"I…" Scorpius hesitated, eyes flickering between the candyfloss and Albus.

"It's okay to want sweet things," Ginny smiled, as though reading his mind.

"I-I'm not allowed sweets," Scorpius swallowed, still eyeing the fluff.

"Sometimes though," Ginny replied, playing the bag gently in his hands, "It's exactly what we need. Try it."

Scorpius eyed the bag warily, before plucking some of the sticky substance out of it and putting it in his mouth.

_Oh my…_

It was amazing. It was bliss. It was quite possibly the most brilliant thing Scorpius had ever eaten. He quickly ate another bit, eyes wide with wonder.

Ginny was beaming too as she said, "See? Not all sweet things are that bad. Do you like it?"

Scorpius nodded, smiling at her, as he continued to eat. Ginny folded her arms on the counter, leaning down until her face was level with his.

"It's not so bad admitting that you want something. In fact, it could be one of the best things you do. Give it a try some time," she finished with a wink.

Scorpius gave her a confused look, and would have questioned her, but Albus grabbed his hand and dragged him away, with a call of, "Thanks mum, see you later!"

"Is your whole bloody family here?" Scorpius asked, as he caught up with his friend.

"Yeah," Albus grinned, "We work here every year – this is a community-founded carnival, everyone here is in the neighbourhood."

"Oh, so where are your dad and Lily?"

"You'll see," Albus grinned, "I wanna go see dad first actually."

Harry Potter was in the fortune-telling booth, something that Albus found endlessly amusing, and as such, he was continually giggling as they sat in front of his dad, while Scorpius rolled his eyes and nibbled on his candyfloss. He had to admit though, even if only to himself, that the saviour of the wizarding world looked ridiculous – dressed in a bright pink silk shirt, puffy silk black trousers, funny slippers, giant gold earrings and a turban, along with the eternally dorky glasses.

"You are in graaaavvveee DANGER!" Harry intoned in a spooky voice, "VERY grave! Especially if you don't stop laughing at your father."

"Sorry dad," Albus giggled, "But you look hilarious! And you're pants at divination."

"True," Harry grinned, then flexed his fingers, and placed them on the crystal ball in front of him, "But let's give this a go anyway, okay?"

Albus sobered slightly, and concentrated on stealing some of Scorpius' candy floss, his fingers brushing over the blond teen's and even though it was sticky and sort of gross, it was all Scorpius could do NOT to grab his hand and lick Albus' fingers clean. No, that would be a decidedly inappropriate thing to do, and beside, Scorpius didn't want to anyway, only he did, only he didn't As usual, Scorpius found himself stuck in this dance; hopping back and forth around Albus, debating whether or not to act on his feelings, while Albus remained completely clueless. Irritated with himself, and knowing that Albus would spot his, 'I'm lost in musing,' face a mile away, Scorpius focused on harry, who was squinting into the crystal ball.

"Scorpius," Harry murmured vaguely, "You are…lost, or stuck. There's a decision you've been meaning to make, but it's come to a head now. The answer's right…beside you."

'_Beside me?' _Scorpius thought, confused, _'how can it be beside me? Isn't the saying usually in front of you?'_

"The signals are there…it's not wrong to want it. You just need to wake up. Your prince is looking, look back, or you'll never stop hearing it."

'_Dear Merlin, I think he's cracked…oh-oh god, just don't laugh…hold it together.'_

"Now is not the time for dancing," Harry finished with a nod, then squinted a bit more and continued, "Albus, you're searching for something, but just giving off signals isn't enough, you need to be proactive. The frog won't give anything away; you need to be more Slytherin about the whole thing. You'll get there in the end to bestow the kiss on your true love."

Harry was silent, and then beamed up at the two boys who were watching him with barely contained mirth, mouths twitching dangerously, and breathing stuttering.

"Okay cool thanks dad," Albus said quickly, then grabbed Scorpius' hand and pulled him outside the tent, where he proceeded to laugh and cling to Scorpius, who laughed and clung right back. The stumbled along through the carnival in a laughing fit, looking like drunken fools.

"Y-your dad's cracked!" Scorpius gasped.

"I told you, he's PANTS at divination!"

"PANTS!" Scorpius howled with laughter, needing to bend over to try catch his breath.

"I don't know why he tries to be so weird and cryptic anyway, it's not that bloody hard," Albus scoffed, when they had sufficiently calmed.

"You've never taken a single divination class," Scorpius retorted.

"Pscchh, like it need to," Albus drawled, rolling his eyes, "C'mere, gimme your hand, I'll read your palm."

Scorpius snorted, but held his hand out obligingly, trying to suppress a shiver as Albus took it and gently ran his fingertips over his palm.

"Hmm…okay, you will meet a, not exactly tall, but extremely handsome dark-haired man, who will sweep you off your feet Sleeping Beauty style and lick chocolate off your body," Albus proclaimed proudly, giving him that smile.

"What is it with you Potters and making me a princess?" Scorpius huffed, trying not to think about lick chocolate off Albus.

"You've got such delicate sensibilities," Albus smirked.

"Whatever," Scorpius clucked, "Let's try out these mechanical death traps you call fun."

Albus cheered and dragged Scorpius onto everything possible. There was the waltzers first, where they were spun faster and faster, Albus pressed against Scorpius' side, the tilt-a-whirl, where Albus held his hand up in the air to make it more exciting (terrifying), and so on. Every ride had Albus latched on to some part of Scorpius, who relished it while feeling both elated and scared. It was when they were on a spinning claw machine that the pressure in his chest burst, and Scorpius found himself truly letting go; screaming and laughing as they world spun by in a fantastical blur, Albus by his side. Next it was on to the stalls and games, with Albus plastered to him, showing him how to shoot the pegs at the tin cans, flick coins into bowls and other such activities. And all the while he smiled at Scorpius and asked him what he wanted, did he like the carnival, and what did he want to do. Scorpius' knees had never felt so wobbly, and he himself was feeling light-headed and dizzy, his mind back on that eternal dance around Albus, unable to decide if he should throw himself at his best friend or run away from the sweet torture. He realised that this day was Albus' way to helping him let go and relax after the NEWTS and his crazy uptight behaviour of the past two years, but there was so much MORE to it that enjoying sweet and death defying rides, so much more in Albus' smile and words, and in everything that was happening. But Scorpius didn't know who to interpret or react or ANYTHING. Was it Albus just being goofy, affectionate Albus? Was he testing Scorpius somehow? Did he realise that Scorpius was in love with him? Did he have feelings for Scorpius? It was all too much for the blond teen, who ignored it in favour of letting his mind dance around the issue as he found himself at the hook-a-duck, run by none other than Lily Potter.

Just as Albus was like his father, Lily was the spitting image of her mother, and practically her clone in personality and temperament, minus the fact that she was a Slytherin of course.

"Hello boys," she grinned as they sauntered up arms around each other, "Care for a go?"

"You know it Lil," Albus grinned, putting money on the counter; the rest of the family might let them skive off getting things for free, but not Lily, and Albus was the same whenever he worked so he didn't begrudge her it.

Lily handed them both a rod and asked, "So how's it going, having fun?"

"Loads," Albus grinned, looking over the ducks in front of him, "We got candy floss from mum, dad gave hilarious predictions, we've been on all the rides bar James' and have won some cool prized."

"Sounds good," Lily nodded, "I may have to give it a go next year, and you two can take care of the hook-a-duck."

"As if," Albus scoffed cheekily, hooking a duck and handing it to her, "Scorp and I will be too busy saving to world to be here."

"If James can make it all the way here from Romania to help out, then you'll be able to as well," Lily said sweetly, but with a firm challenging edge in her tone.

She glanced at the underside of the duck, grinned and reached under the counter to get his prize.

"Well I guess we've no choice then," Albus shrugged, then smirked, "Pay close attention Scorp, this is where it gets tricky."

Lily gave a loud snort and straightened, hand Albus a box that squeaked and rattled.

"What is it?" Albus asked, poking it cautiously.

"A pygmy puff," Lily grinned, "Even though it's a muggle carnival, mum and dad got a bunch of prizes for any wizards and witches that show up."

"A pygmy puff?" Albus sneered, "They're so girly and squeaky, what the hell would I want one for?"

"Well I'd be willing to take it off your hands if you don't want it," Lily said, altogether too helpful and innocent.

Scorpius focused on hooking his duck as a grin bloomed across his face; Lily was some piece of work. Albus meanwhile was staring at her, expressions of annoyance and amusement battling for dominance on his face. Finally, he gave a barking laugh.

"To think I ever doubted you were Slytherin," he chuckled, "Here you go sis, early birthday present."

"Thanks Al!" Lily beamed, hugging the box to her chest.

She put it down and then took the duck Scorpius had picked and glanced at the underside. With a strange smile, she reached under the counter and pulled out a small silk drawstring bag that she handed to him.

"What is it?"

"Joy," Lily replied, that same smile playing with her lips.

"Joy? How is it joy?"

"You'll see. Just don't open the bag in front of any muggles. In fact," she said slowly, leaning down towards him, "Wait until you and Al are alone to open it. Share it with each other. Al would like that."

"Um…what?" Scorpius asked, confused.

Lily sighed exaggeratedly and said, "For someone so smart you can be really oblivious at times. Wake up and smell the pumpkin juice Scorpius. Just do what you want."

That said, she stood back up and said in a voice that exuded casualness, "Perhaps you boys should go see James, I hear he's planning something special."

"Ooo, should be good," Albus nodded, taking Scorpius' hand, "See you later sis!"

As Albus and Scorpius wandered back along to the Tunnel of Love, Scorpius could hear music, and James singing, or rather crooning:

"Well, I've walked these streets  
in a carnival  
of sights to see  
all the cheap thrill seekers  
the vendors and the dealers  
they crowded around me."

Albus and Scorpius pushed their way through the crowd to find James singing into the metal cone and swaying for the crowd.

"Have I been blind  
have I been lost  
inside myself and  
my own mind  
hypnotized  
mesmerized  
by what my eyes have seen?"

As James sang, Scorpius felt a surge of fluttering recognition and something else, as though the words were speaking to him and only him. He was going to join in, he HAD to join in. Suddenly, he was walking forward, singing with James.

"Well, I've walked these streets  
in a spectacle of wealth and poverty  
in the diamond markets  
the scarlet welcome carpet  
that they just rolled out for me

And I've walked these streets  
in the mad house asylum  
they can be  
where a wild eyed misfit prophet  
on a traffic island stopped  
and he raved of saving me

have I been blind  
have I been lost  
inside myself and  
my own mind  
hypnotized  
mesmerized  
by what my eyes have seen?

have I been wrong  
have I been wise  
to shut my eyes  
and play along  
hypnotized  
paralyzed  
by what my eyes have found  
by what my eyes have seen  
what they have seen?"

Merlin, this song was just so perfect for this day, this day where everything was trying to tell him something that he just wasn't getting. As the song ended, the crowd went wild, cheering and clapping and Albus ran forward to throw himself at Scorpius, giving him a giant hug, cheering and singing his praises.

As the euphoria from the singing wore off, Scorpius, still in Albus' arms wheeled towards James and said, "What in Merlin's name was that?"

"Just a little charm," James shrugged, the same strange smile that Lily had worn on his lips, "It affects anyone the songs means something to."

"Hmph," Scorpius snorted, preferring to concentrate on the feel of Albus than what the song had meant to him.

"And for your wonderfully participation and being a good sport, I'll give you and All a free ride in the Tunnel," James told them, ushering them to where the carriages stood.

As he made sure they were seated properly, he whispered to Scorpius, "I'll make sure you two are totally alone, okay?" and then was gone.

And suddenly, they were off into the tunnel.

There was romantic music playing, the lighting was sultry and there were all sorts of cute robotic animals and cherubs galore. In short, it was horrifically cheesy, and the cart had stopped halfway through, presumably to let them soak up the atmosphere.

"Well this is all sorts of fun," Albus sighed, collapsing against Scorpius, who was fiddling with the bag he'd won, "What's in it?"

"Let's find out," Scorpius replied, and opened the bag.

A tiny, warm sun slowly floated out of the bag. It paused momentarily, then shot up to the ceiling where it expanded, filling the room with a fierce light and warmth. The room transformed; the music became wondrous and harmonic, the ceiling a clear blue sky, and the ground an ever-flowing meadow. It was wondrous, and both boys gaped around them.

"This is, this is-" Albus babbled in awe.

"Joy," Scorpius breathed, "It's so joyful."

He closed his eyes and completely relaxed, absorbing the atmosphere.

"I've never been anywhere like here."

"Neither have I," Scorpius admitted sadly.

"B-but – this is…your joy," Albus spluttered, confused, "Why?"

"It's just a dream, a fantasy," Scorpius shrugged, "There's no point."

"Scorpius, just because it's a fantasy doesn't mean it won't come true," Albus said gently.

Scorpius felt a hand on his, and opened his eyes to see Albus' so close to his. He licked his lips, nervous, wanting to do something, but not wanting to let himself give in and make a mistake.

"Scorp," Albus breathed, "Haven't you ever considered that maybe your dreams want to come true?"

Scorpius shook his head. That would be too painful, hopeful and confusing a thing to consider. Albus sighed and leaned back on the seat.

"So," he said in a cryptic tone, "How do you think the theme of the day is going?"

"To be honest I'm not sure it's all that prevalent," Scorpius replied, "Apart from trying all those stall games."

Albus chucked and shook his head, saying, "You're thinking about it all wrong."

"Thank how should I be thinking about it?"

"Well let's see…you tried all sorts of new things today like candy floss and the carnival rides, and relaxed enough to enjoy them, you sang in front of a crowd with no embarrassment, and then of course there's this," Albus grinned, gesturing to the scene around them, then added softly, "I would say that you've won."

"Really?" Scorpius asked, just as softly.

Albus nodded.

"So why don't you collect your prize?"

And then he smiled THAT smile.

Suddenly, looking at that smile and into Albus' eyes, everything clicked, and Scorpius realised just what it was this day was trying to tell him. He felt the old urge to dance around the issue, but pushed it aside to concentrate on FINALLY getting what he wanted.

"I think I shall," he murmured, leaning in and capturing those lips that had driven him mad since he was thirteen.

At that moment, the music changed, and was suddenly a familiar voice yelling, "Wake up! Wake up and smell the pumpkin juice!"

Scorpius opened his eyes and realised three things: 1) he was now awake, 2) that had been a most wonderful dream, and 3) Albus was currently jumping on his bed over him, telling him to rise and shine.

"Hurry up Scorp," Albus said excitedly, hustling him to the shower, "Carnival today, it's gonna be great!"

'_Not as great as it could be,'_ Scorpius thought grudgingly, but hurried anyway so his friend wouldn't have an aneurism.

James Potter was manning the Tunnel of Love. He was also wearing a top hat, and was talking into a metal cone and Scorpius knew exactly what he was saying. The Cardigans were playing from the tunnel, Albus sighed happily beside him, and Scorpius had the feeling that his wonderful dream had been much more than just a dream.

As Albus opened his mouth, Scorpius held his hand up and said dryly, "Let me guess, you want candy floss."

"You're right!" Albus gasped, "How did you know? Do you even know what candy floss is?"

"I have a vague idea," Scorpius grinned, then gestured towards James, "Is your whole family here?"

"Yup, mum's taking care of the candy floss, dad's the fortune teller, which should be a laugh, and Lily's on the hook-a-duck," Albus replied, already taking Scorpius' hand and leading him along.

Scorpius grinned and let him. He had a good feeling about this day.

As nonchalantly as possible, he said, "Say Al? What do you think of making the theme of the day Win or Lose?"

***

A/N: sooo what do we think? please review and let me know if you like it or not, they are all very much appreciated! see you next week for part II: Go Forth On Thy Noble Steed! slán!


	2. Go Forth On Thy Noble Steed!

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part II

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** none, any mistakes are mine alone!

**Prompts: **All of them!

**Summary:** Albus gets a rude awakening...

**Word Count: **4,535

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** some light swearing, nothing bad!

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine, it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions

**A/N: **howaya! here's part 2 of 11 of the summer trials, the overall plot is unfolded here mostly, so i hope y'all enjoy! P.S thank you to Miyako Suou for your lovely review!

**Chapter 2: Go Forth on Thy Noble Steed!**

It was 4am, the crack of dawn, and Albus was awoken from a most wonderful dream involving him and Scorpius battling evil and flying around on his dream motorbike, generally being amazing and daring. Just as they had defeated the dragon and were about to exchange a manly celebratory hug (his favourite part) there was a loud banging from downstairs, followed by a voice shouting, "Potter!" which caused him to snort and bolt upright, while simultaneously reaching for his wand (7 years of Siobhan Finnegan, master prankster, in his house had honed his paranoid waking habits down to a T).

Turning over, he tapped his clock, which yawned and said, "4am honey, go back to sleep," and proceeded to snore loudly.

There was more banging and shouting and swearing from downstairs, and Albus heard a muffled groan from down the hall and the sound of a light being turned on.

'Lumos,' he thought, and then crept out of bed and into the hall. As he did, his parents' bedroom door opened and his dad, in full alert mode, wand at the ready, crept out. He cocked his head at Albus, who shrugged. They shared a look and then made their way downstairs. Albus loved that he and his dad had such a good connection and just knew what to do with a look, and silently thanked the gods that James was away in Romania with Uncle Charlie, because if he had been here, he no doubt would have burst out of his room and gone charging down the stairs hollering loudly. Cool hep-cat or not, James was still as exciteable when faced with danger as he was when he was 12, and altogether too Gryffindor. Albus' dad though knew that at times, one had to be sneaky. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they paused to listen.

"POTTER! Where is he? Where IS he!"

It was coming from the sitting room, and the voice was now extremely familiar. Face anxious but body relaxed, Harry opened the door to the room, to reveal Draco Malfoy, lying on the floor, robes completely tangled up in the fire guard. Albus would have laughed at the sight any other time, except he could see that Mr. Malfoy was red-faced, looking panicked and close to tears. As soon as Draco spotted them, he started hissing and flailing, struggling to simultaneously free himself and reach his wand.

"POTTER!" he shrieked, "Where is he! Where IS he! If you've hurt him, or brainwashed him, or-or-You'll RUE the day! I'll hex you into oblivion-"

"Draco," Harry said gently, freeing the other man with his wand.

"Sectumpsempre will seem like NOTHING when I'm through with you-"

"Draco," Harry said a bit louder.

"And Fiendfyre? You'll BEG for it."

"MALFOY!" Harry yelled, roughly hauling the blond man up and shaking him.

Draco paused mid-shriek and looked at Harry with impossibly large, furious, haunted eyes.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked in a serious voice, gently rubbing the blond man's arms slowly.

"Scorpius," Draco swallowed thickly, eyes starting to water up, "He-he's been k-kidnapped."

"And you immediately assumed I was at fault?" Harry snorted, though didn't stop rubbing his arms, "Honestly Draco, you're lucky Ginny took Lily to her mother's , she'd have bat bogey hexed the shit out of you for waking her."

Draco snorted, then cried and collapsed in Harry's arms as he shouted, "It's not you Potter, it's your son!"

Thus far, Albus had been frozen in place, his mind racing. Scorpius was kidnapped? But how? Why? What was going to happen? How could he go on without his best friend? No. No! There must be a mistake, it must be a prank. It must be – wait, what?! His fault?"

"My fault?" Albus squeaked incoherently, "What?"

"Draco, how do you know that it has anything to do with Albus?"

"Because, because – the note!"

"The note."

"What note? There's a note? What does it say?"

"Albus, asking a million and one questions is not going to help," Harry said sharply, then added gently, "Okay Draco, let's go to the kitchen and get you some tea and you can tell me exactly what's happened."

"I'd rather firewhiskey."

"I'll get you both."

After a few sips of his tea (with a generous helping of firewhiskey added), Draco managed to clam down enough to tell Harry and Albus what had happened. He had woken in the early hours of the morning to hear a bit of a kafuffle coming from Scorpius' room. By the time he had gotten to said room, it was empty and covered in fairy dust (which incidentally looked more like the remnants of many squashed grapes than dust), and all that lay on the bed was a note –

"Addressed to Albus," Draco finished warily, pulling a piece of parchment out of his robes and putting it on the table.

Albus snatched it up immediately, scanning it anxiously.

_Mr. Albus Potter,_

_Assigned the role of Prince,_

_In the Fairytale Trials._

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_In case you have forgotten, I would like to remind you that yourself and Mr. Scorpius Malfoy signed up for the Summer Fairytale Trials for this summer term. As you have no doubt learned, Mr. Malfoy has been taken to begin his part of the trials. Your part, Mr. Potter, shall begin at noon today – I expect to see you at the fairytale centre then. _

_Requirements: a noble steed._

_I look forward to meeting you,_

_Yours faithfully,_

_Mr. Francois,_

_Director, of the Fairytale Centre._

"Oh dear Merlin," Albus whispered, blood draining from his face as he realised exactly what was going on.

"What, what is it?" Draco asked sharply, head snapping up from his folded arms.

"Well, um, you know the Fairytale Centre?"

"Yes," Draco replied slowly, a look of dawning comprehension creeping up on his and Harry's faces.

Through the work of Hermione Weasley on the promotion of muggle culture, the wizarding community had taken to muggle fairytales with surprising curiosity and fascination. A Fairytale Centre had been opened, which held demonstrations, plays, talks, meetings and of course, the Fairytale Trials, which was when witches and wizards signed up to act out specific or general fairytales.

"Well me and Scorp wanted to do something exciting for our last summer after Hogwarts so we signed up for the Fairytale Trials. Only, it wasn't supposed to be like this! We thought we'd get to battle dragons, or-ore trolls, or r-rescue d-damsels in dis-distress," Albus huffed, vaguely realising he was bordering on hysteria at this point, and angrily swiped at his eyes as he continued, "We-we-we were supposed to go around as brothers-in-arms, not-not- kidnapped with the other needing a noble steed! I don't even know where to get a horse let alone how to ride one! What am I gonna do? How am I supposed to find Scorp?" he finished, sniffing plaintively.

"The Fairytale Trials?" Draco hissed angrily, "I'm going to KILL Granger! And when I find Scorpius, I'll kill him too!"

"Draco, calm down," Harry said firmly, "The Fairytale Trials are a bit of harmless fun, nothing bad has ever happened with them. And Albus…oh Albus," he clucked sympathetically, as he went around the table to hug his son, who had been staring at the table morosely, a few tears trickling down his cheeks, "Don't worry, now that we know what's going on we can sort it out."

"I know," Albus sniffed, "But dad…it's Scorp."

Draco's anger melted at the sight of Albus' heartbroken expression, and he reached across the table to pat him on the arm.

"Your father's…right," he said, somewhat awkwardly, trying to be comforting, "The Fairytale Trials are just a game…I'm sure you'll find Scorpius in no time."

"Albus gave him a watery smile and replied, "Thanks Mr. Malfoy. You know I'd never let anything bad ever happen to him, right?"

"I know," Draco smiled back, and was shocked to realise that he meant it.

Albus and Scorpius, while being in Slytherin together, had not formed their tight friendship until they were in third year, but it was clear that they were devoted to each other, friends through thick and thin, both on their way to becoming medi-wizards, dreaming of opening their own practise together. Draco knew that Albus would always take care of Scorpius and vice versa.

"There, it'll be fine," Harry smiled, rubbing Albus' back, "You just carry out the trials and everything will work out."

"But dad, what about the noble steed?" Albus asked, gesturing wildly at the note.

Harry shot him a secretive smile and replied, "Oh I think I have just the thing for you."

It was beautiful. All sleek black and glossy chrome and Albus just knew that when it ran it would purr like a kitten.

"Wha-where-when?" he chocked in amazement and disbelief as he dad took the concealing charm off it.

"A motorbike?" Draco sneered, "You're sending your son to find my son on a motorbike?"

"It was my godfather's," Harry smiled nostalgically, "I was going to give it to you when you got your NEWT results, but now seems like a good time. It makes a good noble steed eh?" he winked at Albus, who blinked, then grinned and stepped forward and ran his hands reverently over the seat and tank.

"It's perfect," he beamed, "Thanks dad!"

"You're welcome," Harry smiled.

"I'm going to try it out now," Albus said eagerly, straddly the machine and starting it up easily.

He and Scorpius had spent all last summer with Siobhán in Ireland, tearing their way around fields on her collection of dirt bikes, turning Albus' love of motorbikes into a full-blown obsession. He was itching to try out this bike, and the sooner he got used to it the sooner he could go find Scorpius.

"Jacket, helmet and gloves," Harry warned, handing the items to Albus, who took them, put them on and then zipped down the driveway and onto the empty early morning road.

"Come on Draco, some breakfast would hit the spot now don't you think?" Harry said cheerfully, clapping the blond man on the shoulder.

Draco rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to sneer. Just because he and Harry managed to get along and work together in the ministry didn't mean he actually wanted to spend time with the former golden boy. However, being angry and worried made one hungry, so he nodded and followed Harry back to the house.

At 10am, Albus was packed and ready to go, Harry and Draco standing at the front door to see him off.

"Good luck son," Harry beamed, hugging him fiercely.

"Thanks dad," Albus smiled, hugging him back.

They stepped apart and Albus turned to Draco.

"I'll have Scorp back in no time Mr. Malfoy."

"See that you do…and take care of yourself."

"Thank," Albus nodded, then hopped on his bike and sped off into the distance.

At five to twelve, Albus was pulling into the parking lot behind the fairytale centre. Just as he had taken off his helmet and gloves, and stepped off the bike, there was a 'pop' from behind him, and Albus turned to see a large frog wearing a waistcoat, shirt and cravat standing in front of him.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, delightful to see you! I am Monsieur Francois, director of the fairytale centre, and co-ordinator of this group of fairytale trails, welcome!"

"Hullo," Albus nodded, warily eyeing him, "Where's Scorp?"

"Hmm? Oh, Mr. Malfoy! Ah well, I cannot tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because that would take way the purpose of the trial of course!"

"How? What's going on?" Albus demanded.

"Mr. Potter, are you telling me you have not realised the fairytale you are playing out? You are on your noble steed, Mr. Malfoy has been kidnapped! You are-"

"The Prince," Albus interjected, remembering the note.

"Precisely! And Mr. Malfoy is currently under an enchanted sleep, carrying out his trials via dreams, while YOUR trial shall be a series of tasks which will eventually lead you to Mr. Malfoy, who you will then rescue and awaken."

"You mean he's a princess?!"

"Technally yes. That's the profile that fit you best."

"But, we're b- I mean, I'm- Why?"

"Ah now, that would be telling," Francois chuckled, then spotted the motorbike, "Ah, is this your noble steed?"

"Yes," Albus replied faintly, mind still trying to comprehend what was going on.

This was NOT what he and Scorpius had signed up for, and Albus just KNEW that whenever he found his best friend, he was a dead man.

Francois walked around the motorbike, looking it up and down speculatively.

"Hmm…it's not a horse…but it'll do," he eventually announced, and Albus sighed in relief.

Francois placed his 'hands' on the tank of the bike, muttered inaudibly and then stepped back.

Nothing.

And then a small cough, which didn't come from either Albus or Francois, followed by a louder one, and then the bike suddenly roared into life.

"YeeeeeHAW! Oh WOW I can talk!" the bike said in a growly, androgynous voice.

Gaping, Albus stepped forward to the rumbling bike, which twitched slightly towards him.

"Hiya," it chirped happily, "You're my new owner!"

"I am…what's your name?"

"Um…I was never really given one, but Sirius called me Charlie sometime, so I guess you can call me that!"

"Okay, sounds good," Albus nodded, still a little perturbed at the fact that his bike was TALKING, "Um…what did you do to it?" he asked Francois.

"I put a fairytale charm on it," Francois beamed, "He's now the perfect companion!"

"Are you sure it's a he?"

"Not exactly, but it doesn't really matter," Francois shrugged, "The charm will end when the trial does. Now, you're all ready to go! Here is your first clue, good luck!"

He handed Albus and envelope and disapperated with a loud pop. Albus shook his head, clearing away the dizziness and opened the envelope, pulling a piece of parchment out.

_Come away, oh human child, to the waters and the wild._

_We dance and have the craic in our rings under soft moonlight. What you seek is four-leafed luck, what you'll find is life eternal._

"Hmm…" Albus muttered, chewing his lip as he puzzled over the clue.

"What does it say?" Charlie asked curiously.

Albus started, but figured he should get used to it and read it out to him.

"How can you have a crack in a ring?" Charlie asked in confusion.

"No no, it's not that type of crack," Albus murmured, "Craic means fun, it's iri-…Irish," he breathed excitedly, "Irish myths and fairytales…who dances in rings? Banshees, leprechauns, faeries…faeries, that's it! And I seek four-leaf luck…that's obviously a four-leaf clover! But where do I go?"

"Maybe it's in the first sentence," Charlie suggested, "Anything around here wet and wild?"

"No…but the sentence sounds familiar, like it came from a poem or something…hang on."

Albus dug around in his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. Scrolling down through his menu, he punched the call button and waited.

"Howaya," a sleepy voice yawned down the line, "Cheers for waking us at the crack of dawn Al."

"Only you and Scorp classify midday as the crack of dawn Shiv," Albus chuckled, stomach twisting as he remembered the predicament his best friend was in, "Anyway, I've got my first clue for the Fairytale trials, and I need your help."

"Sure thing, fire away," Siobhán replied, a bit more awake.

"Do you know a poem which has the line 'come away oh human child, to the waters and the wild'?"

"Oh yeah, that's 'Stolen Child,' by Yeats, gorgeous poem."

"Great! Do you know where it's set?"

"Yup, it's a place called Sleuth Wood in Sligo. There's a memorial place for Irish myths and fairytales there that the centre erected."

"Great, thanks Shiv," Albus said fervently.

"No bother. So how's it going anyway? Where's Scorp?"

"Um…I'm going to find him," Albus said slowly, "I'd better go, I'll let you know when I'm finished."

"Okay, good luck. Slán!"

"Bye."

"So where we off to?" Charlie asked excitedly, as Albus put his phone away, "Is it far away? Will I get to fly? I love to fly and drive and-"

"Shh! We're going to Ireland, Sligo to be precise and yes you get to fly."

"Woohoo!" Charlie cheered, altogether a little too happily for Albus, who had a feeling that this was going to be a loud annoying trip.

"We need to get to the fairytale memorial at Sleuth Wood, do you know how to get there?"

"Sure thing," Charlie replied, "Hop on and let's go."

Albus tucked the clue in his pocket, put his helmet and gloves on and hopped on the bike. As he drove out of the parking lot, he swore he could hear a guitar playing nearby. The playing great louder as he continued down the road, and as he approached a crossroads, he heard a voice.

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road…"

"Ahh!" Albus yelled, pulling Charlie to a sharp halt.

The music stopped just as abruptly.

"What the hell of what?" he asked, freaked out.

"Your theme song," Charlie replied in a matter of fact tone.

"My what?"

"Theme song," Charlie replied slowly, "Every hero gets a theme song! And you got a good one too!"

Albus pondered this, decided he didn't have the time to come up with a counter charm, and besides, it was kind of fun to have a theme song.

"Okay, let's get flying," he said.

"Woohoo!" Charlie cheered, rising up, and off they went, theme music in tow.

"Time grabs you by the wrist;  
directs you where to go.  
So make the best of this test  
and don't ask why.

It's not a question  
but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable  
but in the end it's right.  
I hope you had the time of your life."

Albus grinned when he listened to the lyrics; they fit in so well with his situation. It was funny how music was such a pivotal point of Albus' life sometimes. There was of course 'his' song, Carnival, which only Albu knew the true meaning of. There was also 'Green Eyes,' by Coldplay, which Albus treasured more than any other, mainly because Scorpius had sung it in a sultry, drunken voice to him after their celebrations of their OWL results. And now there was this song.

Three hourse later, and Albus hated the song with a fiery passion, and Charlie singing along in a loud, off-key manner really didn't help. Finally, he spotted the east coast of Ireland, and Albus sighed in relief. He quickly landed the bike and hopped off, walking away. He was in desperate need of a break and some silence; thank god that music stopped playing when he wasn't moving, and he flopped on his back on the beach gratefully. It was unreal how much he missed his best friend; he had never realised how constantly aware he was of Scorpius' presence until he wasn't there. And of course missing Scorpius lead him to thinking about him and other things Albus would rather not dwell on.

For as long as he'd been in Hogwarts, Albus had wanted to kiss Scorpius. In first year he assumed it was because Scorpius was such a pleasant and non-confrontational dorm-mate and he therefore was grateful he didn't have a James-esque person to deal with. In third year he figured it was because he and Scorpius discovered they actually had what it took to be very best friends. In fourth year it was hormones, in fifth it was because he realised he was bi and hey, Scorpius was an attractive guy, and now, after seventh year, he figured it was because he and Scorpius had been living in close quarters for seven years and it was just a weird mental affect of that, and it would go away given time. However, Albus had noticed that over seven years it hadn't waned one bit, only gotten stronger, and he was at odds as to why. He had tried getting all sorts of boyfriends and girlfriends to distract him, but to no avail; within weeks they'd be broken up, and Albus would have to find solice in the Cardigans again. Scorpius thought that that song meant he liked someone, but really it was Albus' 'I can't stop thinking about Scorpius,' song. He always fancied he could spot a spark of jealousy in Scorpius' eyes when he played that song, but he figured it was wishful thinking, why, he didn't know, he just did.

Albus was suddenly snapped out of his musings by loud crying and wailing. Curious, he ran back, only to find it was Charlie; his frame shaking.

"Charlie?"

"Oh Albus! I called and you weren't there and I thought something bad had happened to you cause that's what happened when Sirius left me last, and I don't' want you to die and I don't want to be alone!"

Albus gaped at the wailing bike. So even motorbikes had issues. Huh.

"Oh, um, sorry Charlie, I just needed a break from the music," Albus apologised, patting his tank.

Charlie visibly calmed, and Albus sighed in relief.

"Just…just n ext time you go say goodbye okay?" Charlie sniffed, "It's all well for you, I'm the noble steed – next time I go I'll take you with me."

"Okay, I'll tell you next time I'm going," Albus promised, hopping back on Charlie, "Shall we get going? Driving please, I'm tired of flying."

"Sure thing!" Charlie chirped, "And I'll keep the singing down, shall I?"

"Yes, that would be great thanks," Albus smiled, and off they went.

They were just entering the Sligo border two hours later, when Albus spotted something on the road ahead. Curious, he pulled Charlie to a stop, and looked down at what it was. It was a glass bottle, and there was a grasshopper inside.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Albus murmured, quoting one of Scorpius' favourite movies, as he picked up the bottle to further examine it.

As he did, the grasshopper looked at him and exclaimed in a loud voice, "Oh thank god! Could you please help me out of here?"

After talking motorbikes and theme songs, Albus thought he couldn't be phased by anything, but there you go. Nodding, he opened the bottle and the grasshopper hopped out onto his hand.

"Thank you very much," the grasshopper said with a slight bow, "I have been stuck there for nearly a week, I was near death! Might you have some water I could partake of?"

"Sure," Albus replied, fishing a bottle out of his pack.

He poured some water into the lid of the bottle and the grasshopper drank deeply.

"Thank you sir," he said gratefully, "Because of your kindness, I shall give you some advice."

"Okay," Albus replied, feeling pleased.

This sort of thing always happened in fairytales – he would just have to remember what he was told and not be stupid enough to forget or ignore the advice.

"Firstly, faeries are truly viscious things, and you should never sit with them, regardless of their hospitable attitudes. Secondly, you cannot always trust your eyes. And thirdly, accept nothing from strangers who wish to do you kindness for nothing in return."

"Thank you," Albus nodded, "I'll remember that."

"Make sure you do," the grasshopper replied, "And keep the bottle, it will come in handy when you realise things are not as they seem."

With that, the grasshopper hopped away and Albus put the glass bottle into his pack. After a quick stop off for dinner, Albus and Charlie continued on, and by nightfall they had reached the fairytale memorial. It was a large meadow, with a stone circle in the middle of it. As Albus hopped off the bike, the moon appeared from behind a cloud, and the meadow was suddenly filled with all sorts of fey ethereal creatures, dancing, singing and laughing around the stone ring. Albus took a step forward, his helmet off, and they were immediately around him, cooing and petting him and speaking in a strange language.

"Oiche mhaith buchaill álainn," one cooed in his ear.

"O, tá se ana gleoite," another giggled, "Ba mhaith liom e."

"Mise freisin!"

"Cad is ainim duit a bhuchaill?" one asked him.

It was hard to tell which was saying what; they all had pale skin, long flowing hair, silvery eyes and high, tinkling voices.

"Um…" Albus said, feeling oddly distracted.

"Albus, translation charm!" Charlie hissed.

"Oh right," Albus muttered.

He gripped his wand, muttered the incantation and turned to the faeries.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"_What is your name boy?" _she asked again.

"Albus."

"_And why are you here Albus?"_

"I need a four leaf clover."

The faeries grinned in a rather devious way, and many broke away to frolick away around the ring. The ones that remained stroked his face, arms, chest. They were so very beautiful and alluring and something else. Albus felt dizzy and disorientated as they started to lead him towards the ring.

"_We'd be happy to help treasure," _one smiled, _"why don't you sit with us first and rest a bit?"_

Albus was nodding before he realised what he was doing. He felt lost as he gazed at her face, into her beautiful silver eyes, so very like Scorpius'

Scorpius.

"No," Albus said, wrenching away from the faeries, who looked at him, confused.

"_No?"_

"No…no thank you," Albus panted, attempting to get his thoughts back on track, "I just would like the four leaf clover please."

"_But wouldn't you like a rest first?"_ one asked sweetly, taking his arm.

"I said no!" Albus yelled, his instincts telling him to get a hold of his wand. As he did, he saw that the faeries had sprouted large wings, claws and fangs, and were snarling at him viciously.

He quickly threw up the strongest shielding charm he could muster, as they dived at him, and started hurling hexes at them as they clawed at his face and hair. Eventually they were all prone and unconscious on the ground, except for one, who Albus trapped against a tree.

"I would like my four leaf clover please," he said, smirking as he pointed his wand at her head.

"_You damned-"_

Albus took the translation charm off, not wanting to listen.

"-dhiaval! Amadain! Go n'ithean na caoire do shuile!"

Albus said nothing, only held out his hand and sneered. The faery snarled and snapped at him for another hour, shrieking and wailing. Eventually though, her shoulders slumped and he sobbed, a piteous, tortured sound, but Albus held firm. When she realised it wasn't working, she sighed, snapped her fingers and muttered some more in Irish. A four leaf clover rose up from the ground in front of Albus. Albus reached out, and as his fingers closed around the clover, it changed into a note, and the faeries vanished, leaving him and Charlie alone in the meadow.

A/N: Oiche mhaith buchaill álainn: good night beautiful boy

O, tá se ana gleoite: oh he's gorgeous

Ba mhaith liom e: I want him

Mise freisin: me too

"-dhiaval! Amadain! Go n'ithean na caoire do shuile: devil! Fool! May the sheep eat your eyes!

sooo, what did we think? please review and let me know!!


	3. Nothing Like The Smell Of France!

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part III

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** the faboo **dwarfandelf** – cheers for the help!! :)

**Summary:** Albus tracks down the second clue

**Word Count: **5,012

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** some heavy swearing, girly shrieking, utter campness, and dirty ankle massages

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine, it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions

A/N: howaya!! here's the next chapter of the summer trials, and we'll be following albus as he takes on his next task! a big giant thanks to XxThe Grey Lady xX and ive-already-seen-hell for your lovely reviews, i'm glad you're enjoying my fic! :D

**Chapter 3: Nothing Like the Smell of France in the Morning!**

Albus blinked in surprise at the now empty field and then down at the note in his hand. Was that some sort of glamour or charm? Had any of it been real? And what was that strange glow he'd spotted just as he had reached for the clover?

"Huh, the grasshopper was right," Albus murmured, as he turned back and walked over to Charlie.

He felt extremely tired all of a sudden, and wanted nothing but to lie down and sleep.

"You okay Al?" Charlie asked excitedly, "She was a bit of a bi-hatch eh? But you got her in the end! So what does the next clue say? Do you know where we've to go? Do I get to fly again?"

"I'm fine, yes she was, yes I did, I don't know, no and I don't know again, now shh," Albus murmured, pulling out his wand and setting his tent up.

He pulled off his jacket and boots, set up wards and got into the tent, crawling into bed.

"We're sleeping here?" Charlie asked in a half-nonchalant, half-terrified voice, "What if those nasty faeries come back?"

"I'm sure they won't and if they do I've set up wards so they won't get near us," Albus yawned.

"…Albus?"

"Mmhmm?"

"I can't sleep."

"Count sheep."

"…It's not working…Will-will you tell me a story?"

"…There once was a motorbike that liked to sing, but liked to sleep even better, and everyone was happy when he did, especially his owner who was very tired," Albus mumbled into his pillow, frowning slightly as he concentrated on falling asleep.

"Allbuuuusss! That wasn't a story at all!" Charlie whined, "Tell me a proper one, pleeeaaassseee?"

Albus huffed angrily, propping himself up on his pillow – he was entirely too grumpy when he was tired.

"What story do you want to hear?" he sighed.

"Um…oh, could you tell me about Scorpius?"

"What about him?" Albus asked in slight surprise.

"Anything! How did you become friends? What's he like?"

"Hmm, well, at first he was just this bloke who I shared a dorm with, kind of quiet and shy, but we got along alright," Albus shrugged, and then grinned as he continued, "We became best friends in third year; we bumped into each other on our way to pull pranks – me on James and him on my cousin Freddy. When we realised what was going on, we figured we'd help each other out, you know, Slytherins-in-arms and all that. Pulled the pranks off perfectly, but we were caught sneaking into the kitchen for a well-deserved midnight snack. We spent most of detention joking and flinging charms at each other, and it only got better from there. Scorp….he's brilliant really; wicked sense of humour, really smart, adorably snobby and ridiculously sneaky, I can never quite know what he's thinking at times. He's -*yawn*- my best friend. He's arrogant…and -*yawn*- gets offended at really little things, but he…he gets on great -*yawn*- with my -*yawn*- family…I'd do…anything…"

Albus' head dropped onto his pillow with a soft thud as he drifted off. Charlie yawned, starting to drift off.

"And you don't know why you were put in this category," he scoffed fondly, and fell asleep too.

_Albus and Scorpius were somewhere, Albus couldn't tell, but they were lounging on bean bags, Albus' feet in Scorpius' lap, Scorpius lazily tracing patterns on the skin just above Albus' ankle. _

"_Where are we Scorp?" Albus asked, looking around at the bare room._

"_If you can't figure that out I'm not telling you," Scorpius replied snippily, giving Albus A Look._

_Out of nowhere, it suddenly dawned on Albus, as all answers seemed to in dreams._

"_Oh yeah, the Room of Requirement," he grinned, "Good choice."_

"_Thank you," Scorpius smiled back, squeezing Albus' ankle, causing Albus to blush and melt a little._

_He has SUCH a thing for having his ankles touched; all his previous boyfriends and girlfriends had indulged him, but none were as good as Scorpius, who seemed to instinctively know what to do to turn Albus into a pile of goo._

"_Say Al, how about we play a game?"_

"_Okay, what do you want to play?"_

"_Hide and Seek," Scorpius said coyly, massaging Albus' ankle some more._

"_Okay," Albus replied agreeably, though there was a voice in the back of his mind that screamed out this was a bad idea._

_Albus couldn't help himself though; Scorpius was giving him THE look; the look where his eyes danced and hovered with a myriad of emotions, like he was trying to decide between two very tempting decisions. It made Albus itch to do something, to tell Scorpius to make the decision already, because he'd go along with it no matter what._

"_Good," Scorpius smirked, "I'll hide first."_

_With that, he lay down on the floor, crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes._

_And started to turn grey and faded around the edges._

"_Scorp?" Albus asked, kneeling up and tentatively reaching out to him._

"_You have to find me Al," Scorpius' voice spoke, from the air around him, "Can you do that? Will you?"_

"_Of course I will, you know that," Albus frowned, reaching out-_

_- And gasping in shock as his hand went through Scorpius, who had now turned transparent._

"_You'll have to be brave and clever and cunning. You'll have to use all your strength and loyalty. Can you do that Albus; can you do that for me?"_

"_Yes, yes!" Albus cried desperately, as Scorpius faded away completely, a faint glow remaining, "Scorpius-"_

"Scorpius!" Albus yelled, throwing himself out of bed in a flurry of movement.

He bolted upright, wand in hand and sat, panting harshly and trembling. Just a dream. Just a messed up fucking dream. The sound of Charlie's snoring drifting in from outside surprisingly helped Albus calm down, but he buried his face in his hands as a wave of loneliness hit him, eating at his gut. Well, there was no way he was getting back to sleep now. Shaking away the last vestiges of sleep, he reached for his jacket and pulled out the next clue.

Hop o' my thumb, and find the well, where upon you shall ask for a drink. The sausage-nosed woman shall lead the procession, and the jewel from the mouth of a pretty girl shall bring the fortune you seek. But hearken! Giants lie abroad!

"Ahh," Albus grinned, "Ahha, ahahaha! Ha!" he crowed in delight, hopping up and dancing out of the tent into the early morning light, "Too easy, tooooo easy!"

"Huh, wha?" Charlie yawned, waking up with a snort, "Whaass goin on?"

"I figured out the next clue," Albus grinned, totally and utterly pleased with himself.

"Ooo, what is it?" Charlie asked excitedly.

Albus read out the clue and went on to explain, "They're all French fairytales. My Aunt Fleur used to tell them to us when we were little…and once when we visited France, I remember she took us to see a little well where a witch used to play tricks on muggles, I bet that's the well from the fairytales!"

"So we're going to France?"

"Looks like it."

"Woo!"

After a quick breakfast, Albus packed up, and hopping up on Charlie, cast a concealment and warming charm and off they went. As they started flying up, Albus heard new music starting to play, and then a voice joined in.

"Nobody left in the airport lounge  
They cleaned the ashtrays  
TV's just wound down  
I've got to wait till morning  
I've got to last the night  
I've only got one book  
To see me through my flight

But when I get to Paris…"

"Ooo, new theme song, and it's Elton!" Charlie cooed happily, while Albus groaned – oh Merlin, he HATED Elton John!

There was no doubt about it; he would have to concentrate on something else, or he would kill himself after five minutes of this shit. He let his mind wander, and of course it lead to the inevitable: Scorpius, Scorpius, Scorpius. He recalled his earlier dream, two things sticking out vividly: the ankle massage, and The Look. They were quite possibly, two of Albus' favourite things for Scorpius to do, and he remembered the last time Scorpius had done both…Recalling the memory, Albus let himself sink into it, reliving the time…

Scorpius and Albus were lounging on Albus' bed; Albus stretched out along its length, and Scorpius sitting at the head of the bed, massaging his ankles in a most _delicious_ manner. They had decided to spend the Easter holidays at Albus' and were reminded of that by the sounds of Harry and Ginny playfully arguing over their one-on-one quidditch game outside, and muggle music blaring from Lily's room next door. Currently she was playing some song about stars being blind; it was by a muggle, who, according to Lily, back in her hay-day had used a mixture of beauty and cunning to manipulate people into getting her way. As such, Lily idolised her and had spent most of the school year saying, "That's hot," about anything and everything.

"So, NEWTs soon," Scorpius murmured drowsily, his hand tightening and relaxing, fingers brushing up and down Albus' ankle.

"Mmm," Albus hummed, caught up in enjoying the massage too much for any serious conversation…or any conversation at all really.

"And then the Fairytale Trials."

"Mmm."

"And then we're off to St. Mungos."

"Yeah…oh yeah, right there."

"Your ankle fetish is completely ridiculous and laughable."

"As long as you don't stop, feel free to laugh away."

"Hahahahah," Scorpius deadpanned.

"Ooer, what an enthusiastic laugh," Albus chuckled, groaned as Scorpius found a particularly sensitive spot and then said, "So, what do you think you'll do when we qualify as proper medi-wizards?"

"Well to be honest I was thinking of opening my own practise…"

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmm…and er…I could really, sort of…well, having a business partner wouldn't be so bad."

"Why Scorpius, I thought you'd never ask," Albus gasped in mock surprise.

"You've known for ages I was going to ask," Scorpius stated, eyeing Albus narrowly.

"Well we have been talking about specialising in blood magic illnesses since fourth year," Albus grinned.

Scorpius pursed his lips and replied snippily, "You could have spared me the trouble."

"I wanted to hear you ask."

"Even though I never had to?" Scorpius threw back.

Albus couldn't help but smile THAT SMILE at him. It was his patented Scorpius smile; not because he had made it for Scorpius, but because it was a smile that only his best friend could bring out; coaxing it from him as naturally as Scorpius gave him massages. It was by far Albus' favourite smile, because it was for Scorpius and Scorpius alone, and because it always brought The Look into Scorpius' eyes. It was the same look that he got when faced with a difficult question; his eyes would fly from side to side, and various different emotions would flicker across his face as he sorted through his options. Normally, it would begin to slow down until it stopped as he reached a decision. However, with Albus, it seemed to speed up if anything, almost as if he were dancing around whatever decision he had to make. At times he seemed truly distressed, and Albus wished he knew what was going on in his friend's head so he could help him make a decision. Now though, The Look, combined with the massage, which now held a pleasant amount of light scratching, was totally and utterly alluring.

"You know you never have to," Albus said, still smiling, "Which is why I love that you do."

Scorpius licked his lips, eyes still dancing as he whispered, "You deserve it."

"And you are so wonderful for that," Albus breathed.

He had never wanted to kiss Scorpius as badly as he did then, but it was because Scorpius was truly wonderful; with his look and massages and wanting to open a practise together and only ever asking Albus questions he didn't need to, and all the things that made up his best friend.

Albus sighed and groaned, pushing his feet up against Scorpius' stomach, seeking more friction from the massage.

"And your massages are the most wonderful thing of all," he groaned.

Scorpius snorted and gave a hard, shiver-inducing scratch down his calf and murmured fondly, "Ankle freak."

Albus came back slowly from the memory; back to the smell of the sea they were flying over, the music, and Charlie's loud signing. It wasn't so bad really, when he had the memories of the strength of his and Scorpius' bond to fall back on.

"We'll drink in the amber, when I get to Paris, You were the best of Montmarte Street Life," he sang along quietly, smiling a bit more and more as they zipped across the Irish Sea and then the English Channel.

The sun beat down fiercely as Albus finally landed Charlie outside his aunt's summer chateau; it had been Aunt Fleur's parents', and was now shared between her and her sister. All extended family were welcome at any time (Fleur had a deep sense of welcoming hospitality, she could be on her deathbed and would still demand to be the first to greet a new guest at the door), and there was usually someone present, regardless of the time of year. Albus pulled off his helmet and gloves and wiped the sheen of sweat off his brow before hopping off Charlie.

"I'm heading inside, are you going to be okay here?" he asked the bike, who replied, "Mmm yeah, I'm wrecked, so I'll just take a nap."

Albus nodded, then headed to the front door and rang the bell. As the sound died down, Albus could hear skipping footsteps approaching and the door was thrown open with a cheery, "Bonjour!" to reveal his cousin Louis.

Out of the three Delacour-Weasley children, Louis was the most like his mother and the most passionate about his French heritage. He had long silvery hair, with the barest red sheen in it, piercing blue eyes and a willowy figure. While Victoire had embraced England with all her might in a vain attempt to pursue Teddy, and Dominique had taken after her father in the curse-breaker business, Louis had demanded that he be educated in Beaubaxtons (he was heading into his last year in September), spoke French as much as he could get away with, and had a strange affinity for berets. He was also extremely passionate and romantic, falling in love with every boyfriend (all four of them) he had ever had and even claiming to have fallen for a woman who was thirty years his senior, despite the fact that he was EXTREMELY gay. He was totally odd, and thus, one of Albus' favourite cousins.

"Mon dieu, Albus! Quelle surprise!" Louis shrieked happily, flinging himself into Albus' arms and kissing his cheeks, "What are you doing here? Is that a motorbike? Have you come to sweep me off my feet?" he winked playfully.

Albus grinned; he missed Louis' need to flirt with absolutely everyone (including Albus' parents and anyone unlucky enough to be in the same area as him). It was never serious, just some messing and a means for Louis to "keep my skills sharp," so Albus indulged him, safe in the knowledge that Louis never actually wanted anything.

He replied, "You wish mate. I'm actually carrying out a task for the Fairytale Trials."

"Ooo la la! How wonderful!" Louis cheered, then paused, frowned and looked around.

"But where is Scorpius? He is taking part in this with you, non?"

Albus' face fell at the mention of his best friend, and he replied glumly, "He's…under an enchanted sleep, it's why I'm here."

"Oh my!" Louis exclaimed, taking Albus' arm, "Come inside and rest yourself and I will get us wine from the cellar."

"But it's not even twelve yet."

"Wine knows no boundaries, not in France!" Louis called merrily, pushing Albus down on a large flowery couch and skipping out of the room.

Albus laughed and shook his head; Louis was always eager to hear everyone's story and gossip, and to make everyone as comfortable as possible, even if it meant getting them sloshed. A moment later, Louis appeared, wine bottle and two glasses in hand. A flick of the wand and the bottle was opened and their glasses full.

"So, tell me everything," Louis said, smoothing out his trousers and taking a sip of wine.

Albus took a sip of his, and then told his cousin the whole story. Louis listened intently, gasping and cheering at the different events that happened.

"My goodness Albus," he breathed when Albus had finished his story, "You are on quite an adventure, and Scorpius too! Oh," he sighed, eyes twinkling and going all soft and dreamy, "What a beautiful and romantic journey you and Scorpius are on! You both deserve it, I'm so happy for you!"

"You're cracked," Albus snorted, "How much wine have you had already?"

"Not nearly enough," Louis grinned, "But I am being serious here Albus, as I am with all matters of the heart. This is just what you and Scorpius need, I am sure of it."

"How about I stuff that beret of yours where the sun don't shine?" Albus muttered, rolling his eyes.

Louis laughed, playfully slapping Albus on the arm.

"I think you would enjoy that too much non?" he winked saucily, then laughed and added, "Really though, you should make the most of this, and be happy you have Scorpius to share it with. After all, you only find the right one once."

"That many times?" Albus sneered sarcastically.

Truly he had no idea what Louis was on about; his cousin always got a little funny around him and Scorpius, and this time was no exception.

"Anyway, I was hoping you would remember where the well is."

"Oui, I do; lovely spot for a picnic…and other activities."

"Oh yes, how is Pierre?"

"Oh, Pierre was last month chere, I'm dating a man by the name of Jaque, he is truly a fascinating character."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Merci."

Louis knocked back the rest of his wine with a flourish, Albus following suit, and then stood, summoning his cloak.

"Come," he ordered, leading the way to the front door, "We will get lunch first, and then to the farmers' market and then the well, oui?"

"Sounds good," Albus acquiesced, knowing it was the best deal he was going to get; Louis never liked to rush into anything.

The cousins exited the chateau and walked ten minutes down the road to the little village nearby, where Louis promptly lead him to a tiny bistro which served the best ratatouille Albus had ever tasted in his life. When they were finished, Louis lit up a cigarette and leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh.

"So how are all at home?"

"They're doing well; dad's in the middle of some big international case, so mum took Lily to visit the Burrow, Lily's hoping to con more enchanted muggle objects from granddad, and James is having a great time with Uncle Charlie – nothing forges a bond like a love of dragons and understanding the ache of unrequited love," Albus replied, rolling his eyes.

"Ah of course," Louis chuckled, "How is Teddy doing by the way?"

"Fine. Oblivious to everything and completely wrapped up in his work with werewolves to notice anything," Albus snorted, "How's Victoire and Dominique?"

"Dominique is still giving mama heart attacks by disappearing on hunts for weeks on end – she's never gotten hurt before so she should be fine. And as usual, Victoire is stalk- I mean, travelling alongside Teddy, helping him with his work and trying to get closer to him. Of course he doesn't notice anything, and she gets more and more frustrated, but she knew exactly what she was getting into when she kissed him six years ago."

"Does he still think it was just her funny French way of saying goodbye?" Albus grinned, and Louis laughed in confirmation.  
If there was one person Albus would never ever want to have a crush on, it was Teddy Lupin. Sure the guy was sound as a pound, and ultimately mischievous, logical and totally cool, but Merlin was he oblivious! As Victoire had demonstrated all those years ago, one could literally snog him and he still wouldn't get it – Albus figured it would take a couple of shags to get it in his thick skull that you were interested in him. Poor Victoire. More so, poor James. Still, they knew, as everyone in the family did, what Teddy was like. The only highlight of the whole thing was how catty James and Victoire got around each other whenever Teddy was nearby.

"And how is Beaubaxtons? Only one year to go."

"C'est ennui, mais je susuivrai," Louis shrugged, then stood, throwing some money on the table, "The farmers' market awaits, and there's an old woman who bakes the best baguettes in France, I guarantee."

They were pouring over which type of baguette to buy, when there was a commotion from the other side of the market place. Albus looked over and spotted a woman, with sausages hanging from her nose, being chased by a giant pack of poodles. Albus scoffed at the ridiculous scene, before he remembered the clue: the sausage-nosed woman…

"She knows the way!" Albus yelled, and took off after her.

Distantly he heard Louis curse and run after him, but his concentration was focused solely on the woman, as he followed her across a field and into a forest. After a few sharp twists and turns, he was slowly catching up with her and the yipping dogs behind her. The crazy procession burst into a clearing and Albus grinned as he saw that they were headed for a well. Just as she reached the well, the woman leapt forward –

- And disappeared into thin air, the dogs popping out of existence just after her. Albus slid to a halt, blinking furiously, as though doing so would bring the woman back. A moment later, Louis came to a stop beside him, huffing and puffing for breath as he leaned on Albus' shoulder.

"Merde, Albus! I think I shall have a heart attack," he joked, wheezing slightly, "Why did you take off so?"

"I saw the sausage-nosed woman," Albus replied, looking down at his cousin, "But now I can't…"

He trailed off as he turned back to the well, where a young, beautiful girl was drawing water.

"Hello," he called, taking a step towards her.

The girl looked up and smiled coyly, but said nothing.

"Maybe she doesn't speak English," Louis whispered, then said loudly, "Bonjour mademoiselle, je m'appelle Louis, et il s'appelle Albus. Ca va?"

The girl smiled and nodded, but remained silent.

Albus had a sudden brainwave, and stepped right up to the well, charming smile in place.

"May I have some water please?"

The girl nodded and dipped her drinking ladle into the bucket, then handed it to Albus. He drank deeply and handed it back with thanks.

"May I please have one of the jewels that falls from your mouth when you speak? I need it to help a dear friend of mine."

The girl's eyes crinkled up at the edges, and she opened her mouth to reveal a large ruby, which she deposited in her hand.

"I will give this to you, but you must first get me the Seven-League Boots from the giants in the North," she told him.

"Very well," Albus nodded, "I will bring them to you as soon as possible."

"Okay, what was that all about?" Louis finally managed to ask as they were walking back to the chateau.

"That was my task," Albus said in a determined voice, "Are there giants north of here?"

"I-uh, yes, there's a settlement near the Pyrenees," Louis replied, then shook his head and continued, "Surely you are not going near them Albus, they are crazy! You could get hurt!"

"Doesn't matter, I need the next clue so I can find Scorpius, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Ohh…that is so ROMANTIC!" Louis gasped dramatically, hand on his chest, "Albus you truly are a prince!"

"Not so, I just want my best friend back," Albus muttered.

They arrived back at the chateau, where Charlie was still snoring away, and he asked, "Do you have any spare petrol?"

"Yes, I'll get it for you," Louis nodded, and headed off to get it.

"Charlie, time to wake up," Albus called, walking up to the bike, who snorted, yawned and said, "Wuuhh?"

Albus chuckled, and patted his tank.

"We're getting you some petrol and then you and I are going giant hunting."

"Oh wow, that's wicked!" Charlie cheered, "We're like a proper prince and noble steed now!"

"Here's the petrol," Louis called, walking out from the garage, petrol can in hand.

"Brilliant, I'm starved!"

"Eep!" Louis shrieked, nearly dropping the can, "Your bike, it can talk!"

"I'm not just a _bike_, _I'm_ his _noble steed_," Charlie declared proudly.

"…That is so cute!" Louis squealed, running forward and kneeling in front of Charlie, "You are truly an amazing creation."

"Thank you. You have nice eyes, and amazing silver hair."

Albus rolled his eyes, took up the can and started pouring the petrol in Charlie's tank. Louis' eyes turned soft and dreamy and he gazed at the bike fondly.

"Thank you," he smiled, petting Charlie's handlebar, causing the bike to purr.

Louis chuckled and stood up, moving beside Albus.

"Oh Albus…I think I may be in love!" he whispered to his cousin.

"Louis…Charlie's a bike. An _enchanted_ bike."

"Love knows no bounds," Louis scoffed loftily.

"Truly, there are times when it does," Albus sighed, finishing pouring the last of the petrol in.

That done, he handed the can back to Louis, summoned his gear and put them on. A compass charm showed him north, and he was ready to go.

"Thanks for lunch Louis, it was great to see you again."

"You too Albus," Louis smiled, "When you and Scorpius finish your trial, come visit, okay?"

Albus nodded and hopped on Charlie, pulling the throttle a couple of times.

"Good luck, fair noble steed," Louis smiled and pecked Charlie on the handlebars, "You too Albus, remember, your Scorpius needs you intact."

Charlie giggled and replied, "Thanks, it was lovely to meet you. And don't worry, I'll protect Albus."

Albus snorted, and then called, "Bye Louis!" as he and Charlie rose up and flew off to the north.

They hadn't been flying very long when Albus spied many a broken tree lying around, a sure sign of giants nearby. Quickly he landed Charlie and hopped off, stashing his helmet and gloves and pulling his wand out.

"I'm going to have to go on alone, I need to be as quiet as possible," he whispered to Charlie, who whispered back, "But I want to help!"

"You can help me by getting me the hell out of here when I get those boots," Albus said soothingly, "I won't be gone long, stay absolutely silent okay?"

"Okay Al, you can count on me."

"I know," Albus smiled warmly, "I'll see you soon."

Albus crept off, and soon enough he came across the settlement, where there were six giants lounging around, babbling, laughing and occasionally tussling. Looking around the settlement, Albus spotted a pile of artefacts in the centre, with a pair of boots on the top. That must be them! Now he just needed to get them. He could accio them, but one of the giants would probably notice. He could cast a concealing charm on himself, but he would be fucked if one of the giants stood or fell on him. No, what he needed was to be sneaky about it…and he knew what to do. Quickly, he gathered some twigs and branches together, transfigured them into a harp, and then set to work on the charms. In the story Hop O' My Thumb, the hero waited until the giant was asleep to steal the boots, and Albus intended to do the same, only he had neither the patience nor time to wait for it to happen. Instead, he would _make_ it happen. In seventh year, for his charms project, Albus had created a replica of the harp that his dad had come across in his first year that kept Fluffy the dog asleep. The spell work was tricky and complicated, but Albus knew it was his best chance. The only problem was that he needed a piece of what he wanted to fall asleep to make it person/animal specific, so Albus would have to cast a general sleeping charm on the music, which would make everything nearby fall asleep. No worries though, he'd just have to make sure he couldn't hear a thing.

Once he was done, he cast muffliato on himself, mumbled a quick prayer and set the harp playing. He waited and watched avidly, grinning when the giants finally fell asleep. When he was sure they were in a deep slumber, he sprinted out, grabbed the boots and sprinted away, casting a silent 'Finite Incantatum,' over his shoulder as he passed the harp.

Making it back to Charlie, he threw himself on the bike, panting, "Go! Back towards the chateau!"

"Sure thing!" Charlie yelled, rising up and speeding off.

Albus clutched the boots and his wand desperately, heart pounding. He didn't dare look back over his shoulder; there was being brave and then there was tempting fate. When the adrenaline had faded and his heartbeat was back to normal, Albus was able to take control of the flying and directed him to where the well was. As they landed in the clearing, Albus saw the girl by the well, again drawing water.

"Here," he said, walking over to her, boots held out.

She examined the boots, then smiled, took them, and held out the ruby to him.

As Albus reached out for it, he saw that glow out of the corner of his eye he had at the end of the last task. Turning his head, he swore he saw Scorpius lying at the edge of the clearing, all grey and faded, just like in his dream. At that moment, his fingers closed around the jewel, and the image of Scorpius, along with the girl, blinked out of existence.

***

A/N:oooo, so albus manages to get through the second task! in the next chapter we'll be catching up with Scorpius' adventures on his trials! please review and tune in next week! :D sláinte!


	4. Dream A Little Dream

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part IV

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** the faboo dwarfandelf – cheers for the help!!

**Summary:** Scorpius realises what's going on.

**Word Count: **3,508

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** some heavy swearing, boy x boy kissing (squee! ^^), obscure conversations, dream-zombie and a little bit of snark.

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine, it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions

**A/N:** Okay, for anyone who's wondering, a blue is when you have five cards of the same suit, doesn't matter what numbers or whatever they are. It goes by different names, but this is what I call it! ^^ hope you all enjoy the chapter, it was murder getting it done! Also, i'm very VERY sorry i'm late with this, i spent all of friday and saturday trying to upload my chapter, but stupid document manager wasn't working!! but it did today thank god! so please enjoy!!

**Chapter Four: Dream a Little Dream…**

By the third dream, Scorpius had realised that he was not waking up anytime soon, if ever. He had spent the fourth dream laughing hysterically, feeling, and more than likely looking, mentally unhinged, given that Dream-Albus was patting his back comfortingly, a worried look on his face.

"Is there anything I can do?" he had asked, rubbing slow, soothing circles on Scorpius' back.

Without thinking, or giving himself a chance to dance about the decision, Scorpius had said, "Kiss me," which Dream-Albus happily complied with.

He had cupped Scorpius' face gently, and kissed and licked his way into his mouth as though it would banish the hysteria away. Slowly, Scorpius had felt soothed down to the core, and then dizzy from the all-consuming kiss. He had begun to kiss back, though he shouldn't have, oh Merlin he shouldn't have. Albus was his best friend, and from the fact that he had dated plenty of boys and girls, he obviously was not interested in Scorpius that way, and thus Scorpius was left to have random flings and trysts in the astronomy tower, unable to let himself become involved because none of them were Albus.

Kissing now would be a betrayal of his and Albus' friendship, even though Dream-Albus was soft and tender and more than willing and so very like his real Albus. He shouldn't have kissed him, but Scorpius had been in the midst of losing his mind, and the kiss was the most real thing he could feel. So he had kissed back, fisting Dream-Albus' shirt, clinging to him desperately, and felt a sharp tug on his bellybutton. And suddenly found himself in the next dream. He and Dream-Albus were sitting at a poker table, where George Weasley, Albus' uncle, was shuffling a deck of cards in a variety of impressive ways.

"Hullo boys," George said with a wide grin, his shuffling practically hypnotic.

"Wotcher George," Dream-Albus grinned, while Scorpius smiled and nodded.

One of the 'privileges' of being Albus' best friend was that Scorpius had become inducted into the gigantic Weasley family (albeit after a few nerve-wracking outings and dinners where everyone eyed him suspiciously…thank goodness he was excellent at smooth-talking and lavishing the appropriate people with compliments), and so knew most of them fairly well. George was by far Albus' favourite uncle, and he and Scorpius had spent many a holiday hanging out in his joke shop, testing products or helping in the storeroom. Scorpius had fallen in love with the shop and its products; it was a prankster's dream, and much to Albus' delight, he and George had taken a rather quick liking to each other.

Looking around, Scorpius realised they were in a casino – it was quite small, but very posh and rich looking, rather like his father's private casino in the manor, only that was ridiculous because why would George be working in his father's cas- oh right. Dream.

"Do _you_ know that this is a dream?" he asked Dream-Albus, who chuckled and said, "Of course it is Scorp."

"What do you mean, 'of course it is.'? Am I supposed to be having a series of never-ending dreams?" Scorpius snapped.

"Yup," Dream-Albus grinned, "it's part of the trials."

"What trials?"

"You know what trials."

Scorpius opened his mouth to tell Dream-Albus that no, he bloody well did NOT know what trials, but quickly shut it with a frown. There was something about a trial come to think of it…a trial for him and Albus.

"Oh hell," he whispered, face paling, "The Fairytale Trials."

"Told ya you knew," Dream-Albus said smugly.

"Wait, if this is the trials, then where's Albus?"

"I'm coming to rescue you."

"Rescue me?...I'm under an enchanted sleep, aren't I," Scorpius stated tonelessly.

"Mmhmm."

"And Albus is going to rescue me."

"Yup, on my noble steed and all."

Scorpius processed this information easily, but the realisation of what was truly happening was slow to wash over him, as were all horrible realisations that one's mind refused to process.

He buried his face in his hands, not wanting to believe it, wanting to rid himself of the gripping, twisting feeling in his gut and the inevitable conclusion: he was under an enchanted sleep, while Albus was coming to rescue him, as if he was a-a-

"A princess," he moaned into his hands, "Merlin's balls, I'm a _princess_!"

"Technically…yes."

"Why, why? This is _not_ what we signed up for!"

"But it's the profile that fits us best."

"WHY? HOW?!"

"Because you need to learn."

"Learn what?" Scorpius asked, hating how panic and denial reduced him to a muddling mess of stunted questions and shrieks, not at all dignified.

"Learn to believe."

"Believe in what?" Scorpius snarled, head snapping up.

He then sneered as he considered the type of fairytale he was trapped in and added, "True love? Because that's complete and utter bullshit."

"Really? Why?" Dream-Albus questioned, a strange smile on his face.

"Because I refuse to believe someone could be in love with someone who doesn't love them back!"

"How do you know I don't love you back?"

"I never mentioned myself," Scorpius replied stiffly.

Dream-Albus gave him a look, and then smiled Albus' damned SMILE, causing Scorpius' heart to stutter and his cheeks to flush.

"…Because…well—it's obvious, isn't it?" Scorpius stuttered, heart wrenching painfully.

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"I think you may be wrong."

"Oh what would you know," Scorpius scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"More than you think," Dream-Albus replied coyly.

Scorpius scowled, and stared down at the table as though willing it to explode or burst into flames. He absolutely refused to think of Albus or love or anything of the sort because this was just a dream, a fucking dream and nothing more.

"…So how do I get out of this…sleep?" he asked slowly, still staring at the table.

"You have to complete your trial through the dreams, and I have to complete mine to find you."

"Sounds easy," Scorpius muttered sarcastically.

"It can be…do you trust me to rescue you?"

"I trust _Albus_ to rescue me, yes."

"I _am_ Albus."

"No, you're Dream-Albus," Scorpius replied firmly, poking the teen on the chest.

Dream-Albus pursed his lips, and Scorpius just knew, that like his Albus, this one was debating whether or not to say something. Eventually he sighed and shook his head.

"Fine…just pretend I'm the real Albus then. Scorpius," he said, eyes large and solemn, as he took Scorpius' hand, "Do you trust me to come find you?"

Scorpius stared into those soulful green eyes, and was lost.

"Of course I do Albus, you know that you-" he shut his mouth with an audible click, annoyed that he had slipped and called the teen Albus.

Dream-Albus on the other hand looked joyfully happy as he beamed at him.

"Good," he breathed, "Then we're one step closer."

"Fine," Scorpius frowned, "I'll go along with these dreams. And when I wake up I will throttle Albus."

Dream-Albus chuckled and smiled The Smile at Scorpius. Damn smile was so distracting and wonderful, he absolutely _must_ ignore it. Forcefully, he tore his gaze away and looked instead at George, who was shuffling the deck and watching them with an exasperated look on his face.

"If you ladies are done chin-wagging, we've got a game of cards to play," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

"Ooo yeah, I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas please!" Dream-Albus said eagerly, leaning forward in his chair.

"You got it kiddo," George chuckled, starting to deal out the cards.

"Anything from the cocktail menu sir?" a waitress asked, having appeared by the table.

"Mm, yes, I think I'll have a Screaming Orgasm please," Dream-Albus replied, with a lavicious look at Scorpius.

"Certainly. And for yourself?"

"I'll have a Manhattan," Scorpius replied crisply, refusing to be drawn into whatever game Dream-Albus was playing.

The waitress nodded and headed off, and Dream-Albus smirked, "Ooo, classy, I always liked that about you Scorp."

Scorpius rolled his eyes and picked up his cards, barely glancing at them as he looked around the casino. The place was filled with smoke and fancily dressed wizards and witches; the air rang with screams of elation and grief, the jingling of money, catcalls and prayers of winning. The greed was consuming and suffocating, at once drawing Scorpius in like an old friend, and repulsing him.

"Do we have an opening bet Albus?" George asked, having laid out the first three cards.

Dream-Albus stared at his hand and then rapped twice on the table.

"Scorpius?"

Scorpius glanced at his cards and then to the three on the table. He had two kings and there was a third on the table; too good a hand to pass up, and so he picked up two chips and tossed them on the pot. Dream-Albus paused thoughtfully, then saw his bet, and George then dealt out the next card. They continued betting and raising each other as the next cards were dealt out, and as the last card was turned over to reveal a fourth king, Scorpius went in for the kill, raising Dream-Albus a ludicrous amount. Dream-Albus met his challenging gaze head on and raised his eyebrows, a smirk ghosting over his lips. Without hesitating, he saw Scorpius' raise, and nodded towards the blonde's cards.

Lips twisting, Scorpius showed the two kings he held. His gloating expression fell away though, as Dream-Albus revealed his cards to show he had a blue.

"Albus wins," George announced cheerily, pushing the pile of chips towards his nephew.

Dream-Albus cheered and hopped off his chair, walking over to Scorpius.

"Now I get to collect my prize."

"You just did," Scorpius frowned.

"They're just chips," Dream-Albus scoffed, taking Scorpius' wrist and gently tugging him off the chair, "I want my proper prize," and with that, he gathered Scorpius into his arms.

It was just a hug. It was absolutely ridiculous that it should feel so damn good, but it smelt and felt of ALBUS, so fucking perfect and oh _god oh god, don't stop hugging me Albus_, Scorpius wanted to moan._ Never let me go_.

As with all good things, it ended far too quickly, and Scorpius was left standing, slightly dazed, as Dream-Albus slid back into his chair. Scorpius quickly shook his head and scowled as he sat back down, just as the waitress returned with their cocktails. He took a large gulp to cover up his flustered state, while Dream-Albus sipped his and looked very sly indeed.

They played another round of poker, and again Scorpius lost. Dream-Albus moved their chairs right beside each other so he could drape himself over Scorpius' shoulder. The next time he won, he took Scorpius' hand in his, and the next, he placed a soft, chaste kiss to the sensitive spot right below his ear. The whole time, Scorpius had sat completely tense and rigid, while his spine fizzled and his brain literally went 'snap! Crackle! Pop!'

"Lighten up Scorp," George chuckled, just like he always did whenever the Slytherin took something far too seriously, "Enjoy it while you can…" his voice trailed off here and he got that look in his eyes.

It was a look that Scorpius recognized – he saw it whenever a curious child asked George about his missing ear, or when someone asked about the other boy in the photo behind the counter in the shop, or during the anniversary of the war. It was a look Scorpius realised was private, and thus he did not acknowledge it, but he was always on hand with a bottle of firewhiskey during the anniversary whenever he could. George would stare heavily at Scorpius whenever he handed it over, and then grasp his shoulder firmly, giving it a squeeze before he took the bottle. It was the same thing that his father did whenever he truly appreciated what Scorpius was doing, and Scorpius felt a small surge of pride at being able to bring some measure of comfort when words were completely redundant.

"You never know when it will end…when you'll lose the person most dear to you," George whispered, throat working hard as if swallowing thickly.

He paused, gathered himself together and then smirked and added, "So go with it, no matter how rough it seems."

"Rough isn't always a bad thing," Dream-Albus objected with a wicked glint in his eyes, "After all, with me, when it's love, if it isn't rough it isn't fun."

"You must want to be particularly rough then," George winked, dealing out the cards.

"Not yet, but soon I will," Dream-Albus chuckled, smiling at Scorpius.

Between the smiles, the innuendo and George's random comments, Scorpius' head was spinning.

"I…have—nothing to, make the most of," he finally managed to grind out.

"You have everything to make the most of," Dream-Albus breathed, eyes lighting up and boring into his, so very much like his own Albus.

His expression darkened and twisted up though, as he added, "And it's not just your fault that you refuse to see it. Anyway, next round!"

Again, Albus won, and this time he brushed his lips up along Scorpius' neck and kissed him on the cheek. Scorpius closed his eyes and resisted the urge to drown in the sensation Alb – _Dream_-Albus was pulling from him.

"Looks like you're having a bit of trouble kiddo," a rough, but familiar voice that Scorpius couldn't place said, and a figure wrapped up in a cloak stepped up beside him.

The person nicked one of his poker chips and started messing with it, flipping it and playing sleight of hand tricks as he whistled a tune Scorpius recognized as one of his favourites.

"You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em," the stranger sang quietly, as if only for Scorpius, "Know when to walk away and know when to run."

_Why, _Scorpius wondered to himself _is it that all the songs in these dreams seem to allude to some secret meaning?_

It was quite irritating that he wasn't allowed to just enjoy a good song; no, he had to think about how the lyrics applied to his situation…well by Merlin he wasn't going to! Subtlety was well and all, but this was getting beyond a joke.

"What is it you're trying to say?" he sighed.

"The secret to surviving," the stranger spoke, reaching up to his hood, "Is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep."

He pushed down the hood to reveal…George Weasley. Only it wasn't George, because he was quite young and had both his ears.

"Fred!" George said in a shocked, but pleased voice.

"George old chap," Fred grinned, moving around the table to hug his brother, "You're looking old."

"And you haven't aged a day."

"Always was the better looking twin."

"Twat."

"Mum'll always be able to tell us apart now though."

"Too right."

The twins glanced at each other, smirking wickedly, then announced simultaneously, "Polyjuice."

Scorpius didn't know a lot about Fred Weasley; what he did he had gleaned from Albus, Albus' dad, and any of the older Weasleys after they had had a few too many glasses of firewhiskey. George was the most tight-lipped about his lost twin, but Scorpius had seen the pictures, seen how they were together, mock-scrapping, arms always around each other, grinning and plotting. Quite how they looked now, heads bowed together, George looking like he'd just come home, and with the grin lighting up his face, looking all of nineteen again.

"Can we please have a reunion _and_ play cards?" Dream-Albus injected coolly, though with a hint fond exasperation in his voice.

Fred and George chuckled and replied, "Sure thing kiddo."

Fred continued to mess with the poker chip while George shuffled and dealt.

This time Scorpius was far more cautious about betting; not knowing if he really wanted to lose to Dream-Albus again or not.

"If you're gonna play the game boy, you gotta learn to play it right," Fred said with a very meaningful look at him and Dream-Albus.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Scorpius murmured, still hesitating over his bet.

"Every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser."

"Obviously."

"You never count your mon-"

"I'm just playing careful," Scorpius finally snapped, "It doesn't help that you're sprouting nonsense, or that his face is totally blank!" he finished, gesturing at Dream-Albus' expressionless façade.

"Can't read my poker face," the black-haired teen replied with a sudden SMILE, and it was all Scorpius could do not to throw down his cards and smack (or snog) some sense into the boy.

"That's gambling Scorp," George said enigmatically, "it's about taking risks."

"I don't want to take a risk," Scorpius replied petulantly.

"Then how can you ever hope to hit the jackpot?"

Scorpius pursed his lips, eyes dancing as he mulled over his choices. Maybe, just maybe if he took a chance…

"Fuck it," he muttered and lay down his bet.

Again, Dream-Albus won the round, and this time he placed a lingering kiss on the palm of Scorpius' hand.

"Why do I keep losing?" Scorpius complained, trying to hide his heaving breaths.

"Because you have to learn patience," Dream-Albus replied.

"I am patient…when I need to be," Scorpius amended at the look from his friend.

"It's a different type of patience," Dream-Albus said softly, "a patience with yourself, and your situation and other people. How am I supposed to find you if you don't have the patience to let me?" he finished, cupping Scorpius' cheek.

It was too much, too damn much for Scorpius to handle. He should not kiss him. (_Just kiss him_). No (_Yes_). It's wrong (_But it would feel so right_).

"Why should I learn patience?" he snorted, looking everywhere but at Dream-Albus.

"Love is patient," Dream-Albus replied smiled.

"Then let Love be patient, and me be Scorpius."

Dream-Albus laughed, pinching Scorpius' cheek before leaning back.

"I think you'll find they may be one in the same."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow and sneered to show how much he did NOT agree with that statement at all. No sir-ee, not one bit. Love, bah! Love is for saps and Hufflepuffs, certainly not for Slytherins and certain feelings they may or may not have for their best friend…

"As much fun as this is-" George began in a bored voice.

"-fancy a game of two on two?" Fred finished, leaning on the table.

"Sure," Dream-Albus grinned, before Scorpius could open his mouth, "Me and Scorp will kick your arses."

"We'll see about that," the twins grinned in reply.

As Fred and George got themselves ready, Dream-Albus turned to Scorpius and said in a low, conspiratorial voice, "Wanna learn how to hustle?"

"You know how to hustle?"

"No, but you do."

"I do?"

"Yes…but no. In this dream you don't, but really you do, and so, I do too."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"C'mon Scorp, sure you do! You've been hustling Slytherins at card games since first year."

"…I _have_," Scorpius smiled, suddenly remembering, "I've made a life out of readin people's faces, and knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes," he quoted, a personal motto of his.

"Exactly. So, hustling?"

"Okay, teach me."

Dream-Albus beamed and shifted close, so that his face was nearly on top of Scorpius'.

"You look down, they know you're lying, and up, they know you don't know the truth. Don't use seven words when four will do. Don't shift your weight, look always at your mark but don't stare, be specific but not memorable, be funny but don't make him laugh. He's got to like you then forget you the moment you've left his side. And for God's sake, whatever you do, don't under any circumstances…" Albus trailed off, noticing the twins trying to eavesdrop.

'Don't under any circumstances what?' Scorpius meant to ask, but he instead found himself leaning in and kissing Dream-Albus. The boy made a surprised noise and enthusiastically kissed him back. It was so good, so bloody brilliant, the feeling of Alb-

"No," Scorpius gasped, tearing out of Dream-Albus' embrace, "No, no. I-I can't, _can't._"

"Please Scorp," Dream-Albus begged, hands reaching out to run over his face, neck, shoulders, "I need it, _you_ need it. Please, _please_ give me what you need."

In a way, these dreams were like hitting the jackpot, Scorpius realised, thoughts of taking a risk and gambling and Albus, Albus, ALBUS racing through his muddled mind. But it was a bitter, tainted jackpot: this was not Albus, this was a Dream-Albus, a concoction of his imagination, dreams and dearest wishes. Nothing he could ever have.

"Take a risk Scorp," Dream-Albus panted, as though reading his mind, "Take a risk and then be patient."

Dream-Albus' hands twisted in Scorpius' hair, the raven-haired teen's cheeks were flushed and his eyes glazed.

"Albus," Scorpius groaned and fell forward, crashing their mouths together.

As they kissed, Scorpius felt a familiar tug on his bellybutton, and he switched dreams in a blinding flash of light.

***

A/N: so there we go!! What do you think?? PLEASE REVIEW THEY ARE MY LOVECHILDREN!!! :D next chapter: albus heads off to yet another country, hooks up with luna (not in that way!) and takes on the next part of his trial!


	5. Tis A Grand Adventure!

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part V

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** because I'm crap this week, and finished this chapter like 10mins ago, so it's unbeta'd…but I've sent it off to my beta anyhoo, so that status could change!

**Summary:** Albus takes part in the Queen of Quok's Obstacle Course.

**Word Count: **6,524

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** creepy twins, light swearing, drunken karaoke and a wee bit of angst and sap!

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions. Also, the king of the polar bears, the man with the magic book, father time, the queen of quok and the box of robbers all belong to the wonderful Frank Baum's 'American Fairytales.'

**A/N:** ugh ugh UGH! Right, even though this is my longest chapter to date, my mind was so not there and so I apologise profusely for the lameness of it all! Hope it is in SOME way decent, I've just had a bad week! Also, has anyone else been watching Torchwood: Children of Earth this week?? Sooo good, but sooo sad!!

**Chapter Five: Tis A Grand Adventure!**

Albus awoke with a snort and a groan as his head started pounding mercilessly. Sluggishly, he rolled over and instantly regretted it as his stomach twisted viciously and threatened to up heave its contents right there and then.

_Oh Merlin, never again, NEVER AGAIN…_

After getting the clue off the well-girl, Albus and Charlie had returned to the chateau in high spirits. Louis had greeted them with a shriek, hugs and kisses, and had promptly dragged Albus inside, "to celebrate!" Naturally, that meant with wine, and a bloody lot of it. As would be expected, wine lead to tequila shots (what didn't?), and one things lead to another and ended up where it inevitably did with Louis: karaoke. Albus had warbled an emotional rendition of "All By Myself," while Louis performed a sultry version of Eddie Vedder's "Setting Forth." After more shots and wine, they both belted out, "We Are the Champions," clapping each other on the back and grinning manically. Eventually, the two teens had been too paralytic to move let alone sing, and had collapsed on the couch and floor respectively, giggling themselves into drunken slumbers.

And now Albus was lying flat on his back, hands resting on his stomach, breathing deep and cursing Louis and his celebratory ways. Speaking of the devil…

The door to the sitting room burst open, and his cousin skipped in, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

"Good morning Alllbuuuss!" he sang out, waltzing up to Albus, who moaned and turned over clutching his head, then quickly moaned and gingerly rubbed his stomach.

"Louis, please, PLEASE tell me you have some hangover potion," he pleaded, trying to soothe his stomach and fight the urge to throw up.

"Oh you poor petal," Louis tittered, "Of course I have hangover potion, how else do you think I am so fabulous?" he finished with a toss of his head.

Albus whimpered as his stomach and head continued to rebel and Louis took pity. Pulling a small vial from his pocket, he walked over and knelt beside Albus. Uncorking the vial, he helped Albus sit up and poured the potion into his mouth. Albus drank quickly, grimacing at the slightly bitter taste, and then laid back and waited for the potion to take effect. After a few minutes, he wasn't yet fully cured, but he felt well enough to sit up on his own. Louis nodded happily and stood.

"I will cook breakfast!" he announced, and stepped lightly out of the room.

After another few minutes, the smell of sausages and rashers cooking wafted into the room, and Albus figured he must be better, because rather than heaving, his stomach rumbled with want and his mouth watered as he realised just how HUNGRY he was. Slowly he stood, and when nothing happened, he shuffled into the kitchen, where he found Louis, wearing a giant chef's hat and an apron that proclaimed, 'Donnez Baison A Le Chef!' and cooking up a mountain of food.

"Are you hungry?"

Albus' stomach growled loudly in response and Louis laughed, cracking two eggs into the pan deftly.

"I too am starving! Would you make a pot of tea please Albus?"

"Sure," Albus nodded, getting the kettle and filling it, then put it on the oven top to heat up, and went in search of the teapot, tea bags and milk.

Louis and Albus worked to get breakfast ready, while instrumental music poured out from the radio, and they chatted about the one thing their family had in abundance: gossip.

"Dominique almost had her nose bitten off by a mummified cat!"

"Ha! Did Aunt Fleur threaten to drag her to France and lock her up again?"

"Of course!"

"Oh, did you hear Uncle Ron caught Hugo growing gillyweed in his room?"

"Merde Albus, you are not serious!"

"I am, Rose owled Lily about it last week! Uncle Ron only confiscated it though, and said he wouldn't tell Aunt Hermione if Hugo promised not to grow anymore."

"So I should be expecting a very giggly Ron at the next family gathering?"

"Possibly. Apparently he only found the small stash, Hugo has a bigger one in the basement – it's full of spiders so Ron and Rose stay well clear of it, and Hermione thinks Hugo's an innocent angel so she'd never suspect a thing."

"*snort* Hugo is as innocent as a Thai hooker."

"Ha!"

Breakfast was ready, and Albus and Louis took their seats at the table.

"It is not very French," Louis said apologetically, gesturing at the breakfast, "But I have found it complements the hangover potion perfectly."

Albus cut up some sausage and egg and put it in his mouth, moaning in appreciation.

"Merlin you got that right, this is amazing."

Louis beamed happily and started to eat.

After breakfast, Albus set the plates to wash in the sink and took up Louis' offer of a shower; scourgify was effective, but it couldn't beat the feeling of hot water on bare skin. When he was clean, dried and dressed, he headed downstairs feeling fully refreshed. Louis was in the sitting room reading over the clue. Albus frowned at it; he knew it off by heart he had read it so many times trying to figure it out.

The Queen of Hearts baked some tarts, on a hot summer's day. But the Queen of Quok, like the King of Hearts, with her coins counted her life away.

Albus had never heard of the Queen of Quok, and the Queen of Hearts was a poem, not a fairytale. And what was he supposed to get? It was a maddening clue, and Albus began to feel the beginnings of panic closing in on his chest as he thought about the possibility of never figuring it out, never getting the next clue, never being able to rescue Scorpius, see Scorpius, hug Scorpius in relief…

"The Queen of Quok…" Louis murmured contemplatively, pulling Albus out of his panicked thoughts, "She sounds like something your parents' strange friend would come up with."

"Which strange friend?" Albus snorted, rolling his eyes.

"The woman with the blond hair and crazy eyes. You know, the one with the radish obsession."

"Oooohhhh, Luna!" Albus exclaimed, "She might actually know something…Would you mind if I used your floo to make a fire-call?"

"Not at all," Louis nodded, "The floo powder is on the mantelpiece."

Albus took up some powder and put some into the fireplace, kneeling down.

"Fire call for Luna Lovegood-Scamander, America please," he called into the fire.

"One moment please," a tiny voice said.

There was a pause and then.

"Okay, we'll connect you, please put your head in the fire at the beep."

Albus sighed with impatience as he waited. The new floo system had been put in five years ago, and while it was more efficient and polite, there were times he wished he could still just stick his head in and appear willy-nilly in whatever fireplace he pleased. That however had head to too many teenagers pulling pranks on unsuspecting witches and wizards. Hence the new system, and thus the waiting.

Eventually there was a shrill beep, and Albus smiled and stuck his head in the fire, coming face-to-face with his 'Aunt' Luna, who was looking as unfocused and enigmatic as ever.

"Hallo Albus Severus," she smiled dreamily, "You're looking just like your father as ever. Anymore trouble with Wrackspurts?"

"Hullo Luna, no, no more trouble with them," Albus grinned, choking down giggles as he remembered how he and Scorpius pretended to be stalked by Wrackspurts the last time Luna had come to visit, much to the amusement of Uncle Ron and Uncle George, and the disapproval of Aunt Hermione and Mum.

"I was just wondering if you've ever heard of the Queen of Quok?"

"Oh yes," Luna smiled, eyes brightening, and Albus prepared himself, "She's running an obstacle course in two days."

Albus, who had been prepared for one of Luna's typically tripped-out, hippy rants, blinked and then said, "Huh?"

"The Queen of Quok is running an obstacle course in two days," Luna repeated calmly, "Lorcan and Lysander are taking part in it, would you like to as well?"

"It's a children's contest?" Albus frowned, trying not to grimace at the thought of Luna's creepy ten-year-old twin boys.

"It's for all ages. The boys need to develop themselves physically; they get such little exercise because they read all day. And they might be able to track down a Snozzwargle that's supposed to be around there."

"Snozzwargle?" Albus echoed.

"Mmm, tiny creatures that live in dusty, dry places and enjoy hopping into people's ears and imitating sounds, making people think they're hearing voices. The only way to spot them is to sprint through the dust to stir it up."

There was the oddest look in Luna's eyes as she spoke, almost crafty…and sly. Albus realised quickly what it was – she was lying! She knew very well there was no such thing as a Snozzwargle….so it must be so that the boys will go outside…

"Is that so," Albus murmured, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yes. It's very important to keep fit if you want to deal with magical creatures," Luna replied, still in a dreamy voice, but there was a focused, almost wicked glint in her eyes.

Albus chuckled and nodded, then replied, "Would I be able to take part in the obstacle course?"

"Of course," Luna smiled, "Would you like to floo over now?"

"Oh, I have a motorbike, I can't," Albus sighed.

"You'll have to take a portkey then. Take the 414 international portkey to Arizona and drive about 5 miles east, you'll find us."

"Okay," Albus smiled, "Cheers Luna, I'll be over asap."

"I look forward to seeing you Albus Severus," Luna smiled, and then was gone as Albus pulled his head back out of the fire.

"Arizona?" Louis grinned, "How exciting Albus, oh! The things you do for Scorpius!"

"He'd do the same for me," Albus said gruffly, standing up, "Do you know where the nearest international portkey office is?"

"Oui, there is one in the village, I shall fetch it for you and you will pack up and prepare yourself," Louis instructed, fetching his cloak and walking briskly out of the house.

Albus got his things together and headed out of the chateau and into the garage where Charlie was humming to himself.

"Hiya Albus!" he chirped when he spotted Albus walking in, "Didja figure out the clue? Do you know where we're going? Can we go now?"

"Yes, yes and no," Albus grinned, feeling amused by and almost fond of, rather than irritated by Charlie's incessant questioning.

"We're going to America, so Louis has gone to get an international portkey for us."

"Ooo, I've never travelled by portkey, I'm so excited!"

"I can tell," Albus deadpanned, strapping his things onto Charlie's tank and back seat.

Charlie chattered on as he worked, and Albus tuned him out in favour of thinking about the image of Scorpius he had seen by the well. Just what had it been? A glamour? Some sort of hallucinating charm? A part of the Trials meant to drive him insane? Or…OR, was it actually Scorpius as he was now, lost somewhere, stuck asleep? Albus didn't particularly enjoy any of those thought, and the image stuck in his mind, chasing his peace away.

When he had finished securing everything to Charlie, Albus gave him a quick check up to make sure he was in peak condition. He was bent over the handlebars checking the fork alignment with the wheel, when the door to the garage was opened.

"Mmm Albus, is that position all for moi?" Louis called out cheekily as he sauntered in.

"I'm more of a giver than a taker," Albus called back over his shoulder just as cheekily, as he sat back.

"Good thing I enjoy both then, non?"

"You are shameless," Albus chuckled, shrugging his jacket on, helmet and gloves in his lap.

"Only for very special people."

"How sweet."

Louis chuckled, pulled a teacup from his pocket and handed it to Albus, saying, "Here, it will activate when you say the word, 'hotdog'."

"Hotdog?" Albus asked, wondering what it was, and was suddenly wrenched from the garage, Charlie and he landing with a loud 'thunk!' on a dusty road in Arizona.

Albus looked around in confusion, then down at the portkey, and then grinned ruefully.

"Ooops."

"Aww, I didn't even get to say goodbye to Louis!" Charlie whined.

There was a drawn out pause as Albus performed a compass charm.

"So, where are we?"

"Arizona," Albus replied, putting on his helmet and gloves.

"WHAT?! No way! That's amazing! I've never been to America, have you? I heard there's lots of motorbikes around-"

Albus kick started the engine.

"- I wonder if we'll see any? I don't know, after all, America's so bi- OOO!" he squealed as the new theme song started, "I LOVE THIS SONG!"

For once, Albus agreed with him – the bass was heavy, the drums pounding, guitar screeching and the voice scratchy. Perfect.

"Wild thing...you make my heart sing...  
You make everything  
Groovy  
I said wild thing...

Wild thing, I think I love you  
But I wanna know for sure  
Come on, hold me tight  
I love you."

Albus and Charlie sped down the road, and it wasn't long before they were outside what must be Luna's house – a building, perched on stilts, that swayed in the breeze, and looked like it had been made from bits of other houses. The 'garden' had a large fountain, with some weird creature statue at the centre, around which were many _many_ garden ornaments, both magical and muggle. Good grief, Albus had forgotten what a trinket-whore Luna was.

As Albus and Charlie drove up the driveway, the front door opened and Luna, Lorcan and Lysander peered down at them.

"Hallo Albus Severus," Luna called out as he hopped off Charlie, "The door bell below the house will transport you up."

"Kay," Albus nodded, and grabbed his stuff.

"I'll be back in a while," he told Charlie and then headed over to the far stilt.

There was an old-fashioned doorbell attached to it, and with a light touch, Albus felt the tug on his stomach as he was wrenched up to the front door.

"It's good to see you," Luna smiled, embracing him with two light kisses.

"It's good to see you too," Albus smiled, "Thanks for letting me visit."

"Hallo Albus Severus," Lorcan-or-Lysander-he-couldn't-tell-which said solemnly.

The other one whispered in his ear, and he added, "How are you?"

"I'm fine thanks," Albus smiled wanly, already feeling creeped out.

Physically, their father claimed them, but all it took was one look in their eyes and to hear them speak to know that they were their mother's children through and through.

"How are you both?" he asked.

One whispered in the other's ear again, and he said, "I am fine. And I am fine also."

"Good," Albus smiled, then edged towards Luna and muttered, "Is everything okay?"

"Oh yes," Luna smiled, "Lorcan is practising mermish, so he's whispering it to Lysander to translate. Lysander is developing his listening skills."

"Ah, very well," Albus nodded, then said to the boys, "Good luck with the mermish and the listening."

"Thank you," Lysander replied politely.

"Would you like some tea?" Luna asked.

"Yes please," Albus smiled in relief.

Soon enough, Albus, Luna, Lorcan and Lysander were seated around the table, Lorcan whispering in Lysander's ear and Lysander talking back as Albus and Luna spoke.

"So Albus Severus, why have you decided to take part in the Queen of Quok's course?"

"It's for the Fairytale Trials," Albus told her, and proceeded to explain the whole situation thus far to her.

"It must be tough to carry out the trials alone, both for you and Scorpius," Luna tutted, shaking her head.

"I hope you find Scorpius soon," Lysander said seriously.

Lorcan whispered in his ear, and Lysander added, "As do I, after all, happiness only real when shared."

Luna made a series of garbled noises, to which Lorcan nodded and whispered in Lysander's ear.

"Happiness IS only real when shared," Lysander corrected.

"There are times I believe that statement," Albus smiled tightly, throat closing up as he thought about Scorpius.

"Well for the next two days at least you will not be alone," Luna smiled, patting his hand.

"Would you like to go hunting for a Crumple Hornsnack with us?" Lysander asked, and he and Lorcan looked up at Albus with what could only be taken as eager expressions.

Albus couldn't refuse them; even as creepy as they were, they were still children, and Albus had a soft spot.

"Sure," he smiled genuinely.

The next two days were spent stalking around the garden and surrounding area hunting all sorts of creatures with the twins, talking with Luna and helping her with some of her potions for her medi-witch practise. Eventually, the day of the course dawned and a hyped-up Albus took a portkey with the Lovegood-Scamander three of four, popping into existence in the middle of nowhere. Charlie had cried and begged to go with, but the course was for witches and wizards only. Looking around at the wacky mix of wildernesses around him, Albus wished it had not been so.

There were steep cliffs and mountains, a giant forest, a lake to one side and what looked like a desert and giant open plain in the distance. A witch apparated in front of them, clipboard in hand.

"Welcome to the Queen of Quok Obstacle Course," she beamed, "Who do we have participating today?"

"Lorcan and Lysander Lovegood-Scamander, and Albus Potter," Luna told her.

"Great," the witch nodded, scribbling their names down.

She tucked the clipboard under her arm, the quill behind her ear, and pulled three tiny backpacks from her robes, which she then enlarged and handed to the boys.

"Here are your course backpacks, each one contains a compass, flashlight, rope and a canteen of water. The starting point is at the foot of the mountain over there, the course starts in half an hour. Good luck!" she beamed and apparated away.

"So who is the Queen of Quok?" Albus asked, as they made their way over to the starting point.

"She's known in muggle fairytales as an old woman who bid a ghastly amount of money to marry a ten year old king, but really she's a witch who loaned that money to the kingdom, and is being paid back in silver pieces."

"Wow," Albus whistled, "That's crazy."

"It could have been worse," Lysander said, "She could have been attacked by a Snozzwargle."

"Oh yes, be careful in the desert section," Luna nodded sagely.

"Yes mother."

Albus bit his lip and tried not to laugh at the wink Luna sent him – nutter she may be, but she was quick as a whip. The group of four made it to the starting point, where there was a fairly sizeable gathering of witches and wizards of all ages and races. They stood around talking until a round-faced wizard apparated in front of the crowd with a sharp crack.

"Good morning to you, one and all!" he greeted, voice booming across the area, "Welcome to the Queen of Quok Obstacle Course! In this race, you will have to travel through the various wildernesses before you, and collect the tokens that will be highlighted by red markers floating above them. There is no set way to carry out the course and no time limit. The first person to make it to the castle will all the tokens shall receive a silver coin from the Queen of Quok herself!"

Cheers and claps responded to this, and the wizard smiled back and continued, "The course will begin when the red markers appear. Apparition and summoning charms are forbidden, but other magic is permitted. Best of luck on your great adventure!" and with that he apparated away.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, but they were tense, alert, eyes scanning the course expectantly. When the red markers finally appeared over the various areas many competitors took off quickly, running and some even giving shrill war cries much to Albus' amusement.

"Have fun boys," Luna smiled, giving him, Lorcan and Lysander a kiss on the cheek.

"See you later mother," Lysander smiled back, and he and Lorcan walked calmly off hand-in-hand.

"Cheers again Luna," Albus smiled, then turned and headed for the nearest mountain, which would give him a clear view of the course and the red markers so he could strategise properly.

The climb started easy enough, but half way up, Albus was puffing and panting, finding the will to climb rapidly diminishing. The one thing that kept him going was that, had he been here, Scorpius would have laughed and/or sneered and poked fun at Albus' Gryffindor laziness shining through. Then again, had Scorpius been here, he would never have climbed the mountain in the first place, preferring to charge straight in, and Albus would have poked fun as his Gryffindor brashness shining through. They would have argued and then compromised because they both hated confrontation, and then would have laughed at the Hufflepuff-ness of the whole thing.

This course would have been a total laugh, not the bloody pain in the neck it was now. Merlin, Lorcan was right about the happiness thing, and Albus wanted nothing more than to have his best friend safe and with him. He WOULD find Scorpius, he needed to.

Finally, Albus made it to the top of the mountain, and sat for a moment to get his breath back. When he was ready, he stood, turned and huffed in surprise when he saw a cauldron of black pebbles with a red marker floating above it. It had been impossible to see at the starting point, and probably wasn't visible until one was in the middle of the forest. Clever.

Albus picked out one of the pebbles, and a small voice said, "Token one collected, congratulations."

Albus put the pebble in his backpack and then looked across the area in front of him. There were five more tokens to collect – two in the forest, one at the lake, one in the desert and one I the open plain just before the castle. Forest would be the best to start in then. With a grim, determined nod, Albus set off down the mountain.

Albus let off a frustrated grunt as the marker in the forest moved AGAIN. Bloody hell what was it? A creature probably, something skittish. Well, the best way to deal with it was to try wait for it to come to him then, maybe leave a little appetiser out…Albus pulled his canteen and compass out, and transfigured the compass into a dish, into which he poured some water. He set the dish down in the middle of the clearing, conjured up an apple, which he set beside the dish, and then took up post behind some bushes, watching the marker intently. Very slowly, it moved towards the clearing, and then, a unicorn walked into the open. Shit. Okay, this would be difficult, but thankfully not impossible.

Despite his numerous relationships throughout the years, Albus still spent the majority of his time with Scorpius, which didn't leave much spare time with his other half for anything other than snogging, and a little bit of groping now and then. Not that Albus was actually pushed about getting physical – he'd much rather have a verbal joust or intelligent conversation or pull a prank with Scorpius. Sometimes Albus thought he couldn't possibly be normal, but Scorpius ignited passion, wonder, and brilliance in him. Scorpius, with a look or a word, made him BURN, and that was much better than a bit of slap and tickle any time.

Albus sighed as he contemplated his options. He really didn't want to use magic on the unicorn, it would probably be getting a lot of that today…Speaking of which, he should probably get a move on before someone came blundering along and scared the unicorn away. As the creature drank the water and munched on the apple, Albus conjured another one and stood, slowly walking out into the clearing, apple held out before him.

The unicorn started and looked up, and Albus froze on the spot, apple still held out. He stayed perfectly still, forcing himself to breath slow as the unicorn leaned forward, sniffing cautiously. It snorted, then walked up to him and gently took the apple munching slowly on it. Once it was finished, it stepped closer and nuzzled Albus, whinnying affectionately. Albus beamed and hesitantly reached up to pet it. One of the hairs on its mane started to glow red, and Albus grasped it and pulled, petting the unicorn some more when it made a startled noise. The unicorn nuzzled him once more and then turned and trotted off.

"Token two collected," a small voice said, and Albus grinned and put the hair in his backpack.

_Right, now to find the next token. Hopefully it's not too far from here; I want to get this course over and done with so I can find Scorp. Maybe I'll see that image of him again, maybe I can figure out if it's a charm, or if it's really him…Merlin, what if it is really him? I could wake him up then! That would make __all__ of this worth-_

Albus yelled as he tripped over what looked like a log covered in bird feathers. As he puzzled over it, one of the feathers started glowing red. Gleefully, Albus stood and reached over to pluck it off, when the log moved. Making a confused noise, Albus could only stare as the log dragged sideways before righting itself vertically. Only then did Albus realise that the log was in fact a leg, a leg, which was attached to a giant polar bear.

The polar bear towered over him, staring down its muzzle at him for a few breathless moments, before it roared viciously in his face and took a swipe at him. Albus barely had time to duck and roll out of the way, as he pulled his wand out and started firing hexes blinding in the general direction of the bear. Merlin's balls! Unicorns were tricky enough, but bears?!

There were times, such as watching the tri-wizard tournament, hearing about auror training and curse breaking, watching quidditch, and this moment right now, when Albus highly doubted the sanity of the wizarding officials when it came to health and safety – not an ounce of sense between them!

Albus fired off a couple of flashy, showy hexes and used the distraction to sprint behind a group of trees and bushes. Merlin but he wished he had some of Uncle George's products right now!

The bear roared again and announced in a deep, booming voice, "Come and face me coward! Face the King of the Polar Bears and show your courage!"

Courage? Ha! Courage was the excuse people used when idiots got themselves killed trying to be heroes. Courage was not what Albus needed. Cunning was. And right now, a Cunning Plan was forming in his mind.

"You can't be the King of the Polar Bears!" he yelled out, "You're covered in feathers! You're more of a bird!"

"How DARE you insult me!" the bear roared, working itself into an angry frenzy, "I AM the Kind of the Polar Bears, and I'll kill any who say otherwise!"

"Bird King, Bird King!" Albus jeered.

The bear roared and thrashed about, tearing chucks out of the ground and trees, and Albus spotted his chance. Pointing his wand at a large branch on the ground, he thought, _Wingardium Leviosa!_ The branch rose up, and with a neat flick of Albus' wand, flew across and connected with the bear's head with an audible CRASH.

The bear paused mid-roar, and promptly collapsed, unconscious. Albus nearly collapsed with relief, and then let out a triumphant cheer and stepped out to go collect the token.

"Incarcerous!"

Albus immediately threw up a shield charm around himself, but the ropes bound themselves around the bear, and a man stepped out from the trees opposite him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, but I thought that should be done before he wakes up."

"Oh um, yeah," Albus frowned, "Cheers."

"No problem. Good job with knocking it out, I was stumped when I saw it."

"Thanks," Albus smiled tightly, moving forward and plucking a feather.

The man followed suit, and a small voice said, "Token three collected."

"Third token?" the man asked, as Albus put the feather in his backpack.

"Yup."

"Me too. Where do you have to go next?"

"Reckon I'll go to the desert."

"Oh good, I have to go there too."

Albus gritted his teeth. It wasn't that he didn't like people or making new friends, far from it, but the Trial was wearing down his nerves, and he couldn't sum up the energy to be friendly and warm right now. Plus the fact that he was competing against this man put him immediately on edge and in a distrustful mood, and Albus wanted to get rid of him.

"Um, I don't know if you've seen it yet, but there's a token at the top of the mountains back at the starting point."

"What?" the man asked, whipping around to look back at the mountains.

"Oh maaaaannnn! I'd better get that now before I move further away," he groaned, then turned back to Albus, saying, "Thanks, I would never have spotted that."

"Just returning the favour. Good luck."

"Good luck," the man smiled, then turned and ran off, and Albus breathed a sigh of relief.

Right. Desert time.

The sun was scorching, the desert seemed like it would never end and Albus felt like he was wandering in circles. He stopped to take a long swig of water, glad that the canteen was ever filling.

"May I help you?" a voice said, and Albus turned to see a short, fat man beside him, holding a large metal trunk.

"I don't know, what do you want?" Albus asked suspiciously.

"Oh NOTHING dear sir! I only wish to offer my services. In this box, there are three of the finest Italian thieves the world has ever known. If you would like the box, you can release them and they will get you the rest of the tokens in a heartbeat."

Albus hesitated, thinking about the man's offer. He did need to finish this as quickly as possible so he could be sure of getting the silver coin, and the man was offering it up for free, didn't want anything in return…

Ah.

Remembering what the grasshopper had told him, Albus shook his head and replied, "No thank you."

"Pardon?"

"No thank you. I don't want the box."

The box fell heavily to the ground, the man's hands visibly shaking. His eyes were wide, nostrils flared and his lips curled into a sneer.

"You don't? Very well then, veerrryyy well."

He pulled a strange-looking book and quill from his robes and opened the book on the first page.

"What is your name?"

"Uh, Albus Potter," Albus replied, taken off-guard by the odd question.

The man carefully wrote Albus' name on the page and then cackling, threw it at him, and apperated away.

Albus' eyebrows rose and he opened the book, curiosity urging him on. On the page, an Acromantula looked fiercely back at him. Suddenly the book juddered, fell to the ground, and the Acromantula rose up out of it. It wasn't a real one, Albus could see it was two dimensional, but it was still a terrifying sight.

"Ahh," it rumbled, looking at him, "a tasty snack, how delightful."

"Stupefy!" Albus yelled, throwing all his power behind the spell.

The hex merely bounced off the spider, which laughed and marched towards him.

Albus threw every hex he could think of, even daring to yell "Sectumsempre!" when a leg knocked him back, but nothing was working, and it seemed indeed, like the spider was going to tear him to pieces.

"Stop!" Albus yelled, mind working furiously, "You can't eat me!"

"And why not?" the spider chuckled, still moving forward.

"Because…Because I am your master!" Albus replied, snatching up the book and opening the first page, "See, that's my name. Therefore I own you, and you cannot hurt me!"

The Acromantula paused, cocked his head and then said grudgingly, "Very well."

He disappeared with a pop, and the book glowed red before a voice said, "Token four collected."

As Albus neared the lake, he passed a few witches and wizards who were in various stages of wetness, and started to get the feeling he was going to get wet himself. Which was true, as he found himself, twenty minutes later, with a bubblehead charm on, swimming into the depths of the lake. There was a movement to his side and without hesitating Albus threw a lazy hex, sending the Grindylow on its way. He'd been hexing the creatures pretty much since third year; Scorpius loved to swim in the great lake, but had had a bad experience with Grindylows as a child, and was terrified of them. So, Albus always went swimming a little ahead of him and got rid of the creatures around. Hexing the little buggers now was familiar and almost comforting, as he felt closer to Scorpius. At the bottom of the lake, he spotted a giant treasure chest filled with jewels.

Quickly he swam down and plucked one of them out, grinning as he heard the familiar voice say, "Token five collected."

He was about halfway up, when there was a sudden rush of Grindylows towards him. Furiously, Albus started firing off hexes left, right and centre, but there were too many, scratching and biting at him. This must have been what Scorpius felt…Albus wouldn't feel it too, he had to protect Scorpius, defend him, help him, rescue him. Scorpius wouldn't give up on him, never had, and Albus wouldn't let him down. He swam, fired off hexes, physically fought them out of his way until he made it away from the mob, and broke the surface, bubblehead charm fading as he did. Gasping and shaking, he pulled himself onto the bank and lay there, too exhausted to perform a drying charm on himself.

"Hallo Albus Severus," a voice said, and Albus turned his head to spot Lorcan and Lysander kneeling by the bank.

"You're wet," Lysander pointed out, as he and his twin stood and walked over.

Lorcan whispered in his ear and he said, "Did you get the token?"

Albus nodded, holding up the jewel, and noticed a similar one in Lorcan's hand.

"How did you get that?" he gaped, taking in their totally dry state.

Lorcan whispered to Lysander, who said, "I asked the mer-people, they are very helpful."

_Bloody mermish…_

"Clever thinking," he nodded, then stood up, "So how are you finding the course?"

"As enjoyable as fresh air and exercise can be," Lysander smiled, adding after Lorcan whispered to him, "There's a polar bear tied up in the forest, do you suppose a Bimbling Humdinger got him?"

"I don't think so," Albus replied, lips twisting, and he coughed loudly before saying, "So where are you going next?"

"We're going to the desert."

"Oh good. Er, if a man offers you a box of robbers for free, say no."

"Okay, thank you."

Lorcan whispered in Lysander's ear.

"Did you see a Snozzwargle?"

"No, but I didn't look very hard."

"Okay. Farewell Albus Severus."

"See you later boys," Albus nodded and headed off, performing a half-hearted drying charm on himself.

The marker was hovering over the large, empty plane, but there was nothing to see, not even a stone or plant. Possibly, it was invisible…Slowly, Albus walked across the plane, casting silent incarcerous' in all directions. Most of the ropes fell limply to the ground, but eventually, one set wrapped around an invisible figure. Albus whooped and holding tight to the rope ends, jogged up, and when he was nearly on top of the figure, it suddenly became visible. It was an old, balding man with a long white beard, wearing a white robe and carrying an hourglass and a scythe.

The man glared at him, and said, "Do you mind? I have a job to do!"

"Who are you?" Albus asked.

"I am Father Time!" the man replied pompously, "And by capturing me, you have brought the world to a standstill!"

"I have?" Albus asked excitedly, "Then I'm keeping you here until I get the next token and make it to the castle…What's that in your pocket?" he asked, noticing that said pocket was glowing red.

"Oh, I found these scattered around the plane," Father Time replied ruefully, pulling a handful of tiny glass flowers from his pocket, each of them glowing, "I thought they looked pretty."

"Ahh," Albus beamed, taking one of the flowers reverently.

"Token six collected," the voice said, "Please make your way to the castle for presentation."

"Yes!" Albus cheered, jumping up and down, "Right, let's get to the castle and I'll release you."

"Fine," Father Time grumbled.

The two made their way across the plane, the castle looming in front of them. When they were close enough, Albus could see wizards and witches frozen mid-action, and a part of him itched at the prank-pulling potential of the situation, but no, he would resist.

"Okay, this is close enough," Albus nodded, "One thing though, I'd put those flowers back on the plane if I was you, or someone might capture you again."

"Agreed," Father Time said hastily, "Thank you."

"Finite Incantatum," Albus said, and the ropes dropped off.

Father Time nodded and walked away, quickly vanishing. Albus sprinted up to the castle, where a wizard stood waiting.

"I am the advisor to the Queen of Quok," the wizard announced haughtily, "What is your business?"

"I have the tokens," Albus announced, opening his backpack.

"All six?" the advisor asked smugly.

"All six," Albus replied just as smugly, pulling the items out and setting them on the table in front of the advisor.

The advisor examined the objects, then sighed and said stiffly, "One moment please."

He walked into the castle, and then returned presently, followed by an ancient-looking witch in resplendent dress robes.

"I hear someone has finally managed to complete my course?" she asked in a pompous voice.

"Yes. I have," Albus replied seriously.

The Queen of Quok sighed gravely, and then smiled and held up a small silver coin.

"Then I believe this belongs to you."

_Okay, and now I should see…_

Right on cue, there was a flash of light, and there was Scorpius; faded, grey and laid out as he slept. Albus knelt and reached out-

-And gasped as his hand went through his friend's face.

Shocked tears pooled in his eyes: to have Scorpius here but not really was too much.

"Scorpius," he whispered brokenly, "Scorp…I need you."

Just then, the Queen put the coin in his hand, and Scorpius disappeared once more.

***

**A/N: **okay guys, i know that people have been adding this to their story alerts list and whatnot, but the past two chapters haven't gotten a single review and i'm just becoming a little disheartened cause it doesn't seem like anyones actually reading this or likes it or whatnot, and i don't know if i'm gonna be bothered updating it anymore. if you're reading this and you like it, please just a quick comment to say so cause i'm not gonna bother working on something if noone's reading it. cheers!


	6. It's My Dream and I'll Fly If I Want To!

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part VI

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** unbeta'd for the mo, so any mistakes are mine!

**Summary:** Another dream, another lesson, and a near heart attack for Scorpius

**Word Count: **4,672

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** ridiculous commentating, heavy swearing, bit of angst, kissing and groping

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions.

**A/N:** WOW!! thank you guys so much for the reviews!! i thought i'd get one or two which would've been great, but i got so much more than expected, i'm shocked! and pleased as punch of course!! so a big gigantic thanks to: **murtaghxblaiseyum, Lalalaaaa, novembercate, RedGoldX3, Rosepraul, anon, Khadiyah (the dreams are scorpius' trials, albus has to go through physical trials while scorp is going through emotional/mental trials in his dreams), vampyrefaerie524, Rome J Wolf, DylanChan7, **YOU GUYS ROCK!! :D

right, more round-about thinking with Scorpius, as he continues to be unable to make up his mind as to what he wants! P.S. can anyone guess what it is I'm using for Scorpius' lessons?

**Chapter Six: It's My Dream And I'll Fly If I Want To!**

Scorpius landed in the next dream with a dull thud, already lamenting the loss of Alb- Dream-Albus beside him. He blinked, eyes adjusting to the sudden change from dim casino lights to harsh sunlight, and his ears rang from the roaring noise around him.

Vaguely he registered a familiar voice say, "My goodness, I can't see the strings at all, these special effects are amazing!"

_Guilderoy Lockhart?_

Scorpius rubbed his eyes, opened them fully, and all too quickly realised where he was. He blinked in shock, and was standing and screaming before he had thought to do such a thing.

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

_Dream-Albus, god dammit, __Dream-__Albus, it's not the real one!_

_(But he's, he's-)_

_I __know._

"Wotcher Scorp," Dream-Albus beamed, waving from his position astride his broomstick, "I'm playing quidditch!"

"I can see that!" Scorpius yelled, "But what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to get you the snitch," Dream-Albus replied, turning around, "Cheer for me!"

"Don't you DARE Dream-Albus!"

"It's Albus!"

"DREAM-Albus!"

"Okay, but I'm still going to get you the snitch!" Dream-Albus laughed, flying off.

Scorpius seethed, and wondered just why it was his subconscious wanted to give him a heart attack. This whole scenario was all wrong: in reality, he was the one playing seeker for the Slytherin team, and Albus was the one in the stands, cheering him on and worrying about him.

It wasn't that Albus didn't like flying, on the contrary he loved it, but he had had serious problems with the health and safety of quidditch, saying that, "shin pads are not enough for a game where balls are flying at your head, and it's well and all that the nurse can heal broken bones and cracked skulls easily enough but it's got to leave some sort of residual mental damage. And capes! What ARE they thinking? What if it got caught on something, or someone pulled on it? No regard for health and safety, NO regard!"

Siobhán Finnegan had at one point, countered this by telling him about an Irish muggle game where all the players had sticks that they used to hit a ball around a field with, and all they wore were shin pads and gum shields – the true essence of a sport. Albus had glowered at her, muttering about, "crazy Irish dykes," and their inability to have a moment of consideration for people with fragile compositions, and had continued to write up his proposal for protective equipment and safety nets to be introduced to quidditch.

At least Dream-Albus had some sense – Scorpius could see he was swathed in all the protective gear Albus had designed back in third year; helmet with a face cage, full torso armour, goggles, elbow and wrist pads, shin pads and sturdy gloves. And of course there was a conspicuous lack of a cape. The other quidditch players were looking at him just as they real ones had looked at Albus when he revealed his line of products: as if he had grown an extra head. The Slytherin team had also turned away with sneers and guffaws. Naturally, Scorpius could not have done so, and so while he had adamantly refused to wear the face cage, Albus had wheedled him into wearing the rest of the gear. It was times like that when Scorpius wondered how it was the heart of a prankster beat in his chest.

"Hmm, well it looks like they're throwing some sort of ball between them, and oh my goodness, there are balls chasing the brooms! This is quite unnatural I must say," the voice from earlier boomed out, and it was indeed, Scorpius realised, Guilderoy Lockhart.

Scorpius had met Guilderoy twice: once when he was visiting his grandfather, who had gone rather insane in his old age, in St. Mungos, and a second time when he and Albus had done work experience in the hospital the summer after sixth year. Albus thought that the poor man was wacky and weird, but Scorpius found him fascinating, and had spent several hours talking to him. That he couldn't remember magic at all and reacted in a child-like fashion to any he saw was interesting to Scorpius, who had a fleeting fancy for exploring the long-term effects of the Oblivious Charm on one's personality. The strange things was that Guilderoy could remember very random things from books he'd read and stories he'd heard and just seemed to apply them to his own forgotten life, making up the most fantastic tales about adventures he'd never actually carried out. He was most definitely cracked, but Scorpius couldn't help but become intrigued by him.

"To be honest, I have no idea what it is they're trying to do, but people are cheering so it must be good!" Guilderoy commentated cheerily, "Jolly good show fellows! And oh look, one of them tried to throw a ball through that ring but the chap in front of it caught it! But he ducked out of the way of the ball someone hit at him, why is that I wonder? Ball discrimination? It reminds me of the time I moved to the tropics and tried to teach the natives rudimentary chess, but they refused, told me they preferred checkers! Can you imagine? Oh my, now there's a little golden ball hovering in front of me, hello there!"

"Albus!" Scorpius yelled, as Dream-Albus dived straight for the commentating box.

The look on his face was of utter concentration; seen only by his exam papers, prank plans, and Scorpius when he and Albus were discussing serious and pressing matters of life, the universe and the new developments in medicinal magic. It was quite possibly one of Scorpius' favourite Albus-expressions, for it was the one he knew Albus reserved for important times, and he had never seen anyone else receive it but him.

However now, Scorpius wished that that expression would go away and Albus would see sense and get onto the stands and off the pitch. All he could do was watch Albus – DREAM-Albus, dive towards the box…and suddenly pull up and swerve off, a look of disgust and disappointment on his face. Scorpius' heart, which had momentarily stopped, at that point stuttered back to life, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Albus was a good flyer, but it wasn't in a speedy, or flashy, or quidditch way at all, and naturally Scorpius was worried to death about Dream-Albus, even if he wasn't the real Albus. It was still terrifying to watch.

"Sorry Scorp, I missed it," Dream-Albus apologised, looking like a kicked-puppy as he hovered in front of the tower-stand Scorpius was in alone, "I'll try harder next time."

"Please don't," Scorpius pleaded, "Just- - come sit in the stands with me and don't worry about it Dream-Albus."

"It's Albus."

"Dream-Albus."

"Albus."

"…I'll call you Albus," Scorpius said craftily, "if you stop playing."

Dream-Albus paused; looking tempted, then shook his head and replied, "I want to get you that snitch. So you and I will simply have to be patient and hope."

"I hope you crash," Scorpius muttered petulantly.

Dream-Albus looked hurt and then his expression softened as he said plainly, "No you don't."

Scorpius looked into those sad, fierce green eyes, swallowed and replied, "No, I don't."

"Good," Dream-Albus smiled, "Well, I've a task to do, be back in a bit!"

He flew off around the pitch in that steady, almost lazy way that Scorpius remembered Albus did, and though he was worried, he was comforted to see so many of his best friend's true traits present in his imaginary Albus; it made it seem that bit more real, more solid.

"Did you know that there are pieces of metal that can be used to channel the sunlight to do things?" Guilderoy said conversationally, as though he were giving a speech or lecture, rather than commentating at a quidditch match, "Do you suppose that's how this whole rig-ma-role is working? I'd sure like to know, it looks so real, just like magic or something!"

Scorpius snorted in amusement and watched the game. Well really just Dream-Albus; heart leaping into his throat whenever a bludger came within three feet of him, or when he dipped, looped or made a tiny dive. Scorpius couldn't imagine how Albus felt watching him play over the years, but he sincerely hoped it was nothing like this. He felt short of breath and anxious, as if he wanted to fly out there and wrap Albus up in a million protective charms and never let him go. However, that was silly: Albus was more than capable of taking care of himself, and Scorpius knew he should trust Dream-Albus to do the same.

"Oh!" Someone's managed to get that ball through a hoop – the crowd are quite pleased!" Guilderoy announced.

'Quite' was an understatement. The crowd went wild, and then simultaneously started chanting, "That's the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it, uh huh uh huh… That's the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it, uh huh uh huh…"

Scorpius laughed and joined in upon hearing this; this song was part of one of the best pranks he and Albus had managed to pull off: with help from Siobhán, and a mixture of a potion and charms work, they had managed to get everyone in the stands singing that song whenever Slytherin scored. People, Gryffindors especially, had freaked out, and Scorpius and Albus had laughed and gotten quite tipsy and touchy-feely during the after party. Good, good times.

The game continued on; Dream-Albus would fly over to Scorpius every now and then to ask his opinion on the game and chat about random games Scorpius had played before, while Guildroy would commentate on every inane things going on and then go off on various tangents about his life, just as Scorpius remembered he always had. After a while, little by little, Scorpius managed to relax, and watch the whole game, his heart not going into overdrive every time Dream-Albus deviated from the norm. He was squinting at the chasers, trying to figure out if they were using the beta or omega pattern, when the crowd and Guildroy suddenly roared to life.

"OH HOLY BANANA-MAN! WHAT IS HE DOING?!" Guilderoy yelled with a mixture of excitement and fear in his voice.

Scorpius' head whipped around as he spotted a blur of messy black hair and excessive protective gear streaking towards the ground.

"ALBUS!!" he screamed, leaping to his feet and rushing to the edge of the stand.

His knuckles gripped the railing tight and he frantically scanned the ground for any signs of a broken figure.

"Albus…" he whispered, when he saw nothing.

His throat felt time and his eyes stung. No…NO. It - - NO! This was wrong, all wrong! Albus shouldn't be hurt, shouldn't be so reckless and stu-

"WaaaaaaaHOOOOOOO!" came a triumphant cheer, and Dream-Albus came hurtling upwards, stopping right in front of Scorpius.

Scorpius blinked wetly at Dream-Albus peering at him, grinning from ear to ear and holding something out to him.

"I got it for you!"

"W-what?" Scorpius said numbly, still too much in shock to register properly what was going on, to feel relief, or the inevitable anger that would follow.

"The snitch! I caught it for you!" Dream-Albus cheered, holding it out to him, "Take it Scorp!"

Slowly, Scorpius reached out and took the snitch from Albus' hand. As his finger touched it, it started to change, and a song burst into the air.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,

You make me happy, when skies are grey.

You'll never know dear, how much I love you,

Please don't take, my sunshine, away."

When it had finished, there was now a sunflower sitting in the palm of Scorpius' hand. Scorpius stared down at it in astonishment at it, starting to feel a little relief trickle into his system.

He looked at Dream-Albus, who was hovering right by him; grin threatening it split his head in two, looking far too proud of himself. Expression flickering as the shock wore off; he suddenly grabbed the black-haired teen and dragged him off his broom and onto the stands. Dream-Albus yelped and threw his arms around Scorpius' neck as he fell forward.

"Bloody hell Scorp!" he gasped, "Give a guy a bit of warning eh?"

Scorpius shot him a deadly look, and proceeded to take off Albus' protective gear, checking him over thoroughly for any sign of injury. When he was satisfied Dream-Albus was unhurt, he punched him very hard on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Dream-Albus winced, rubbing his arm gingerly.

"THAT, was for behaving like an utter fool," Scorpius ground out, anger finally catching up with him, "What were you thinking? You could have been SERIOUSLY INJURED! DON'T YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

He was shaking the raven-haired teen violently, fear and relief and anger pounding in his skull, causing him to shake internally. He yanked Albus forward, crushing their lips together, needing to feel the tangibility, the realness, and then just as quickly ripped his face away.

"Never again," he whispered fiercely, "Never Dream-Albus."

Dream-Albus was breathing just as harshly, and he was looking far too happy, given Scorpius' yelling as he nodded and then said, "Albus, it's Albus."

"No," Scorpius said firmly, backing away.

He felt far too wild and unhinged around Alb- Dream-Albus right now, couldn't handle being near him.

"No," he repeated, shaking his head, "You're Dream-Albus."

Dream-Albus clacked his tongue and Scorpius had to bite his cheek to prevent himself from laughing hysterically at the familiar gesture.

"I'm Albus Scorp, really."

"Well if you're Albus, then what are you doing in your trial right now?"

Dream-Albus looked confused for a moment, then scowled.

"Well, okay, I'm not physical-Albus, but I'm still Albus, just like you're Scorp."

"No, I'm actually Scorpius, stuck under an enchanted sleep and doomed to act out a train of never ending dreams, of which you're a part, Dream-Albus," Scorpius smirked, crossing his arms.

Dream-Albus pursed his lips, then smirked and countered, "Well if I'm just a part of your dreams then why did you get so scared by my diving?"

Scorpius gaped at him, caught completely off-guard.

_That sneaky little…SLYTHERIN!_

He tossed his head and sniffed haughtily.

"I just didn't like to see it is all."

"You really must not have like it," Dream-Albus smiled, "I haven't seen you that angry since I went flying on the hippogriff in fifth year."

"When you insist on acting idiotically, I will insist on being angry," Scorpius said pointedly.

"Thanks for caring," Dream-Albus smiled softly, and wrapped his arms around Scorpius and hugged him gently, caringly.

It was so wrong, so bloody wrong for Scorpius to want this so much; he knew that this wasn't Albus, that his friend would be disgusted if he knew what was happening in these dreams. But he couldn't help himself, and so, wrapped his arms tightly around Dream-Albus, revelling in the warmth and just the fact that he was here, safe and sound.

Dream-Albus pulled back, looking intently at Scorpius, who ducked his head and stepped back, not wanting to be tempted into more.

"Would you like to go for a fly?" Dream-Albus asked, picking up his broom.

Scorpius considered his offer. Flying would be just what he needed to clear his head, but the memory of the quidditch match was strong in his head. However, with Albus there was always compromise…

"Yes, but I'm flying," he replied firmly, taking the broom from the other teens' hands.

"Okay," Dream-Albus acquiesced, stepping to one side so Scorpius could mount the broom.

Once Scorpius had done so, Dream-Albus climbed up behind him, wrapping his arms around Scorpius' waist and burying his face in the junction of his neck and shoulder. As much as Scorpius knew he should stiffen up and feel highly uncomfortable, his muscles relaxed and a wave of contentment stole over him.

He raised the broom a few feet above the stands and murmured, "Where to?"

"Just beyond the Forbidden Forest. You'll see a hill with a picnic laid out."

"How romantic."

"Only for you," Dream-Albus replied, kissing him on the cheek.

"Dream-Albus…" Scorpius growled.

Dream-Albus chuckled and replied, "Just fly Scorp, I'll be good."

Scorpius snorted, but refrained from further comments and set off at a leisurely pace.

Scorpius LOVED flying. From the moment he mounted the broom, it was like all his nerves and senses awoke and came to life – Albus was the only other…well, anything to make him feel as giddy and high on life. And Albus himself got an even bigger kick out of flying; sneaking a broom into Hogwarts in his first year (Scorpius had been mightily impressed at the slyness of his strange, scrawny dorm mate when he'd spotted it), volunteering to take a trip on that damned hippogriff, and dreaming of owning a flying motorbike for as long as Scorpius had known him, probably longer.

"Come on Scorp, let's make the journey a little interesting," Dream-Albus murmured in his ear, holding onto him tighter.

Scorpius' stomach gave a pleasant lurch and he smirked. Without warning, he swooped into a side barrel roll and soared up, only to loop around and dive sharply so they could fly parallel to the tops of the trees, the Forbidden Forest passing underneath them in a green blur. Dream-Albus whooped and cheered as they soared up again and tumbled down through the sky, coming to a halt at the top of the hill where there was a blanket laid out, with a picnic basket on top and Albus' record player to the side.

"That was wicked!" Dream-Albus gushed, hopping off the broom, Scorpius following, "Merlin I love flying," he sighed, flopping down on the blanket.

"I noticed," Scorpius deadpanned, putting the broom on the ground and sitting down elegantly beside the teen.

Dream-Albus looked just like Albus did after flying; eyes bright, skin flushed, brimming with energy. In short, absolutely fucking beautiful.

Dream-Albus guffawed, reached into his quidditch top and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the record player, which sprang to life, a familiar song pouring out:

"Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,  
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter  
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here  
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun  
and I say it's all right."

Scorpius laughed and stretched as he lay back; he had discovered his song while rummaging through Albus' records in fourth year, and had instantly fallen in love with it, much to the chagrin of his best friend when he insisted on playing it nearly fifty times in a row. There had been much tongue clacking, but Albus had put up with it with a fond smile.

Dream-Albus sent him that very same smile now and pulled the picnic basket between them, opening it up.

"Let's eat, I'm starved!"

Scorpius found that he too was hungry, and as he pulled out a chicken leg to eat, he idly wondered how it was his body was surviving while he was sleeping all this time. He shuddered at the thought of it wasting away, and prayed and trusted in Albus to find him soon.

The two teens sat in an easy silence, eating, enjoying the sunshine and listening to the Beatles sing their hearts out.

"So…" Scorpius said after a while, "What was the quidditch match for? Another lesson?"

"Sort of," Dream-Albus replied non-commitedly, "Bit of that, bit of a realisation too. I know that you think what I did to get you the snitch was a little silly-"

"An understatement if I ever heard one."

"-But I did it for you," Dream-Albus replied earnestly, "And while I don't know what physical-Albus is doing, he's probably taking stupid risks to complete his trial. You have to realise that I am going to do stupid things if I must, because I'd do anything for you. And you should learn to be kind to me about it; I'm only thinking of you."

His gaze, so intent and open and honest, took Scorpius' breath away and shook him to the core.

"I know that, but if anything were to happen to you-" Scorpius broke off and shook his head, then muttered, "Besides, it's not exactly like you jump for joy when I do something rash to help you."

"I know," Albus chuckled, "And I do get angry, but I always thank you and hug you, don't I?"

Scorpius thought about the few times he had done something crazy and impulsive for Albus: taken on a thestral he couldn't actually see when it had playfully stolen Albus' scarf, snuck into the Forbidden Forest to get a rare plant Albus had mentioned in passing he'd like to study, tackled a six foot something seventh year who was dangling Albus via levicorpus when they were in fourth year. Each time Albus had made sure he was all right, before yelling at him, then hugging him and thanking him.

_Huh, we're just as bad as each other…_

Scorpius sat up properly, and leaned across the basket to give Dream-Albus a warm hug.

"Thank you for catching the snitch for me."

"You're welcome," Dream-Albus smiled, hugging him back.

The teens pulled apart, and Scorpius leaned back on his elbows while Dream-Albus lay back and closed his eyes, hands behind his head. Out here, in broad daylight, Scorpius couldn't keep his eyes off Albus, who always looked amazing outside; relaxed, his few freckles shimmering in the sunlight, body stretched out languidly. It was times like these that Scorpius ached most from wanting Albus so much. His eyes wandered over Albus' body, landing on his lips. He wondered what Albus would do if he was the lean over and-

Bugger.

He'd been thinking of Dream-Albus as Albus for Merlin knows how long. That was dangerous and not a good sign at all. Scorpius felt he was starting to lose himself in his subconscious, and he didn't know how to stop it…or if he wanted to.

"I'm glad you're protective of me," Dream-Albus murmured, a small smile on his lips, eyes still closed.

"Someone has to be, otherwise Merlin knows what would happen to you," Scorpius joked.

"You know, love protects."

"So does a shield charm," Scorpius replied snarkily.

Dream-Albus snorted and cracked open an eye, smirking when he caught Scorpius staring at him.

"Like what you see?" he teased.

"I see a lot of things," Scorpius shot back.

"Seems like there's only one thing you see now," Dream-Albus grinned.

His tongue darted out to lick his lips and Scorpius' gaze involuntarily followed it and his cock twitched.

Dream-Albus gave a sultry laugh, eyes sparkling wickedly.

Scorpius huffed and crossed his arms.

"Tease," he snapped.

"Perv."

"Flirt."

"Lech."

The teens grinned at each other and laughed. Albus closed his eyes, and Scorpius lay back, closing his eyes and soaking up the warmth of the sunshine.

"Scorp?" Dream-Albus asked, after a few moments of silence, "Why don't you ever date?"

Scorpius' eyes flew open, and he tensed up.

Albus had asked him that question a few times before, and it was the one thing that brought Scorpius close to actually fighting with his best friend.

"I don't have the time," he replied carefully, just as he always had.

"Liar," Dream-Albus retorted, "And we both know it."

Scorpius bit his lip and stayed quiet, not wanting to reveal why it was he really didn't want to date, not aloud.

"You know, a wise man once told me that there are three things that can't say hidden for long: the sun, the moon, and the truth."

"Your Aunt Hermione told you that," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes.

"I know, but that doesn't sound half as cool," Dream-Albus grinned, then waited patiently for Scorpius to answer him properly.

"I'm just not interested in dating," Scorpius eventually sighed.

"Why not?"

"Because I haven't found anyone I want to date," Scorpius said and little sharply, already feeling his patience starting to fray around the edges.

"No-one?" Dream-Albus blinked, and then got a crafty look on his face as he continued, "I bet there's someone you like and want to date, and you're just too chicken to do anything about it. You should try commit-"

"You're being awfully hypocritical you know," Scorpius interrupted him as he sat up.

"What?" Dream-Albus gaped, "I date!"

"Yes, but for what, two, three weeks tops? How come you don't try committing?"

Dream-Albus stared at him for a while, before he smiled THAT smile, and said simply, "I'd rather spend time with you."

This was something Albus had told him before, but for some reason, in the context of these dreams, it seemed to mean so much more than a mere, "bros before hoes," statement. Scorpius' head swam, and he was caught between the urge to kiss Alb- Dream-Albus, and ignore his damn smile and damn questions and damn wanting to be with him.

Dream-Albus' smile widened and he pushed himself up, crawling around the basket towards Scorpius.

"You're got that look in your eyes again," he murmured, leaning closer, Scorpius feeling even more torn, "What's going on in your head?"

Scorpius swallowed thickly and replied softly, "I can't decide whether to kiss you or not."

"Is that what you always think about when you look like that?" Dream-Albus breathed, so so so bloody BLOODY close to Scorpius now.

Scorpius closed his eyes, his chest tight and his breathing speeding up.

"Yes," he whispered.

"That must be very frustrating," Dream-Albus whispered, "You're usually so rude to people who frustrate you, but not me."

The tension between them was unbearable. Scorpius was panting, and feeling a mixture of shame and arousal swirling in his belly. If he opened his eyes now he would be totally and utterly lost.

"Oh Albus," he sighed, "You know you're always the exception to any of my rules."

There was a pause, a stillness in the air, as if the world had frozen –

- And then Albus was kissing him desperately, and Scorpius was falling back onto the ground and Dream-Albus was crawling on top of him and Scorpius bent his knees to cradle Dream-Albus' body between his legs and finally, FINALLY, the full glorious weight of Albus' body was on top of him. Tongues caressed and teased each other, Scorpius clawed at Albus' back and Albus rocked his hips against Scorpius'. Scorpius whimpered; it was so fucking good, felt so real.

But it wasn't.

With a gasp, he pushed Dream-Albus up, panting out a desperate, "No."

"Scorp?" Dream-Albus panted, caressing Scorpius's forehead and cheek.

"No, no, we – can't. This – we – I – … so, SO stupid!" Scorpius stammered, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"But it's for you, for us," Dream-Albus said softly, "Can't you even pretend to be kind about it?"

"I can't pretend anything with you," Scorpius sighed sadly.

Dream-Albus looked hurt and upset, and went to move off him, but Scorpius held him in place. This Albus might only be a dream, but Scorpius couldn't bear to see him risk him upset anymore than he could bear to see him risk his life to catch a snitch.

Hand slightly shaking, he stroked Albus' cheek, eyes roaming over the raven-haired teen's face hungrily, while Dream-Albus stared down at him with a mixture of apprehension and hope. Tentatively, he leaned up and kissed Dream-Albus softly. And again, and again, and again, until he felt dizzy. Little by little, Dream-Albus kissed back, more and more passionate each time, sending wild, thrilling shivers running down Scorpius' spine to pool in his groin. He and Dream-Albus groaned and rocked together, and as Scorpius reached to pull off Dream-Albus' top, he felt the accursed tug at his navel and once again, the world vanished in a flash of light.

**A/N: **okay and that's chapter 6!! poor scorp, he's a little confoosed, but it shall be resolved soon!! next chapter: albus goes to visit hugo and rose and takes on another challenge, which is more difficult than before... please review and i will love you forever!! :D


	7. Pushed To The Limit

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part VII

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** unbeta'd for the mo, so any mistakes are mine!

**Prompts: **All of them!

**Summary:** Albus has far to travel, and must push himself to his limits and beyond.

**Word Count: **7,928

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** heavy swearing, angst, self-harm, angry sports ranting, drugs.

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions.

**A/N:** my GOODNESS Albus' chapters are getting monstrous, it's almost beyond ridiculous at this point! Hope y'all like it, and I apologise for the length!

Also, a big GINORMOUS thank you to Rome J Wolf!!You're bang on with the idea behind the lessons, and yeah it's awfully hard on Scorp, but it will get better i promise!! :D

**Chapter Seven: Pushed To The Limits…**

Albus sat, hunched, blinking wetly at the spot where Scorpius had been. He was clutching the coin-now-note so hard it was beginning to tear, and felt like it would osmose into his palm. A wave to loneliness washed through him and he curled up on the ground, uselessly fighting back tears. Never had be felt so…broken, so empty. Didn't they understand that Scorpius was his everything? That he, Albus Severus Potter, was bloody fucking useless without him? That it hurt more than words could express to see Scorpius right there, and not know how, or be able to save him? That it would push him to his absolute mental limits, whereby he would be possessed by the singular need to find his best friend?

Of course they did.

Another bout of loneliness hit, and Albus grimaced, curling up tighter. He hadn't felt this lonely since fourth year, and he rocked himself just as he had done that night all those years ago…

"Snake," Albus drawled, throwing an apple at Scorpius.

Scorpius muttered, and lazily flicked his wand, and the apple changed into a small adder mid-air, landing on his desk with an audible hiss. Another incantation and a flick of the blonde's wand and the snake was floating again.

"Shoe," Scorpius challenged, sending the snake off towards Albus.

Albus snorted and easily transfigured the snake, preparing to send the shoe back.

"Teacup."

"Hedgehog."

"Tortoise."

"Kettle."

"McGonagall!" Albus suddenly hissed, tossing the kettle up in the air.

Scorpius hastily transfigured it into a robin, as they had initially been instructed to do, and they sprawled back on their seats, watching it, as Professor McGonagall walked over, lips twitching slightly.

"As much as I enjoy your game boys, please try to stick to the lesson plan," she said, eyeing them and the robin flying between them.

"Yes professor," Albus and Scorpius replied dutifully, though they were unsuccessfully hiding their smirks.

McGonagall snorted and nodded, then added as she walked away, "Ten points each to Slytherin for a good show."

Albus and Scorpius grinned and high-fived, then resumed their transfiguration game.

"Show offs," Siobhán muttered darkly, as she eyeballed her comb determinedly.

She said the spell aloud, and gave a neat flick of her wand. The comb turned into a robin's egg. Siobhán groaned and banged her head off the table, then gave her wand a good shake.

"Hello?" she said in a frustrated tone to the wand, "Conas atá tu? Is anybody home?"

She attempted the spell again and again, her voice getting louder and her movements more severe and erratic, but to no avail.

"A thiarcas!" she cursed, slamming her wand on the table, "Jaysus I hate transfiguration."

"So you say every lesson," Scorpius pointed out, while Albus chortled and transfigured the match in his hand back into the robin.

"There's no harm in telling the truth."

"Yes, but overstating it can be quite boring," Albus smirked.

"Ugh, I just don't get why it's not working," Siobhán huffed.

"It is not working Ms. Finnegan, because your wand movements have all the gracefulness of a cave troll," McGonagall told her archly, stepping across the room, "You are a lady; attempt to have some semblance of delicacy in your wrist movements and pronunciation of the spell and you should master it quickly enough."

"Lady my ass…" Siobhán muttered, and trailed off into a dark string of Irish as she picked up her wand and performed the wrist movement in a slow and exaggerated manner.

"Better," McGonagall sighed, then smirked and said, "Watch how Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy perform the spell and you'll see what I'm talking about."

"What?!" both boys cried out indignantly.

"Our wrist movements are not delicate!"

"Yeah, they're very manly I'll have you know!"

McGonagall merely raised an eyebrow and walked away, while Siobhán cackled and leered.

"Oh please, do show me how you perform the spell, I would so dreadfully like to see your delicate lady-like wrist movements," she simpered.

"Oh fuck off ye big dyke," Albus huffed.

"Say that to me in defence," Siobhán smiled sweetly, twirling her wand, "We're starting duelling tomorrow."

"No thanks, I'd rather not go near you in a class where you get points for blowing stuff up."

"Chicken," Siobhán teased.

"No, just smart."

"I'll show you my delicate wrist movements," Scorpius smirked, fluttering his eyelashes, "if you'll teach me to be manly just like you."

Albus laughed and Siobhán snorted, gave them the finger and went back to work on the robin's egg.

The rest of the class passed as usual; Scorpius and Albus bantered between themselves, Siobhán interjecting now and then. Siobhán finally managed to transfigure the egg into a robin, but put so much power behind the spell that a moment afterwards, it suddenly exploded into a smattering of feathers.

"Delicate, Ms. Finnegan," McGonagall sighed, transfiguring the feathers back into the comb, "delicate. Class dismissed."

"Great, I'm starved," Siobhán cheered, grabbing her bag and leaping up.

"You're always hungry," Scorpius drawled, rolling his eyes.

"And you're always snarky," she countered.

"While I'm always beautiful," Albus grinned cheekily, hooking his arms across Scorpius' shoulder.

"As beautiful as you can be given that ugly mug of yours."

"Touché," Albus grinned as they left the classroom.

They arrived in the Great Hall, when it suddenly hit Albus: _James is gone_.

Yes, he wasn't there on the Hogwarts Express, and Albus has been at Hogwarts nearly a week, but he and James never spend time together on the train, and they rarely see each other in school, being in different houses, except on Fridays. Which is today. Friday is the day when house lines vanish and everyone in the family, plus friends, get together, grab food and head outside to sit by the lake for dinner. Now though, as Albus' eyes drifted habitually to the Gryffindor table, there was a keen sense of loss as he failed to spot the familiar auburn hair.

"Hey guys," Lily called, as they neared the Slytherin table, "Rose, Hugo, Freddy and Roxanne have already gone out, see you there?"

"Sure," Albus said faintly, picking up a plate and transfiguring it into a plastic box, into which he put whatever food was near-at-hand, Scorpius and Siobhán doing the same.

He followed his two friends out to the lake, his head still muzzy, and his chest aching with loneliness. He sat and ate, barely noticing the buzz of conversations around him, as the sky gradually darkened and curfew approached.

"Al?" Scorpius asked in a worried tone, putting his hand on Albus' shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, um…I, uh, I - - gotta go…" Albus murmured, standing and wandering off.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but the words _James is gone, James is gone,_ kept running through his head, and the ache of loneliness beat in his chest.

He and James would never win a 'Brothers of the Year,' award, but when the shit hit the fan, they were there for each other. James always had Albus' back, and vice-versa. Albus was the first person James had told he was bi, and thus, Albus had provided a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on whenever James was too worked up over Teddy (which happened more often than not). It was surreal to think that there was no James to borrow a sneaky fag off, or to bug about the Marauder's Map, or to scuffle with for the sake of it, or to just be brothers with.

After however long of aimless wandering, Albus found himself where he always did when he felt lonely or sad: the astronomy tower. From there he could easily climb up onto the roof of the school and stare up at the stars, silently asking them questions they would never answer, and curing up into a tight ball, rocking himself. He didn't know how long he'd been there, when there was a noise from below, and a familiar blond head popped up.

"There you are," Scorpius sighed in relief, climbing up onto the root and setting himself down primly beside Albus, "I was beginning to think Moaning Myrtle had finally gotten her wicked way with you."

Albus snorted and gave a faint smile, replying, "She wishes she could."

They sat for a few minutes in silence, leaning against each other, gazing up at the stars.

"What's wrong?"

"Scorpius Malfoy, Master of Tact" Albus snickered, to which Scorpius playfully punched him on the arm and replied, "I am when I need to be."

Albus grinned and bumped Scorpius' shoulder, before settling back into silence.

"I'm still waiting you know," Scorpius said after another few minutes.

"Oh, er, nothing's wrong," Albus lied, not even bothering to feign ignorance about what his friend was talking about.

"Is it James?"

Albus flinched and inwardly curse at how well Scorpius knew him. The mention of his brother's name was another sharp slap of loneliness, and he could only sigh and nod in response.

"You must miss him a lot," Scorpius said softly, "Hell, I've only known him properly a year and I miss him a little. He's pretty cool."

"Yeah," Albus smiled, "It's not like we spent all our time together or anything, but…he's my big brother, and it's weird that he's not here anymore. This must be how he felt when Teddy left Hogwarts."

"I highly doubt you feel exactly the same as James did when Teddy left," Scorpius said dryly, "Or is there something you need to tell me?"

Albus gave a short, barking laugh and collapsed sideways onto the blonde, who wrapped his arm around Albus' shoulders.

"Yes Scorp, I'm madly in love with my brother, but he's too dense to notice."

Scorpius wrinkled his nose and replied, "As much as I like James Potter, the idea of anyone fancying him, though many obviously do, boggles me. However, no doubt there is incest present somewhere in my family tree, so I shall deign to continue to be your best friend," he finished benevolently.

"Prat."

"Brother-Lover."

"Wanker."

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"No, but I go down on yours with it."

"Arrrggghhh, gross!" Scorpius yelled, face scrunching up, while Albus laughed, already feeling much better.

When he managed to calm down, and Scorpius quit making retching noises, he sighed and said, "I miss him…and I feel kind of lonely, which is weird though cause I'm not alone, but…I dunno. Lily's great, but she's my little sister. You don't smoke, and we've never scuffled about for no reason."

"Well there's only one choice left if that's what you want," Scorpius said seriously, "Siobhán."

Albus laughed and replied, "No way! She might be small, but she's as strong as an ox. She'd kill me!"

"And then I'd have to kill her to avenge you and someone would kill me to avenger her and so on," Scorpius sighed, "Far too messy. Well, if you ever need to scuffle, I am willing to offer my services."

Scorpius was just great, Albus realised with a start. True, he's always sort of known it, but the true realisation hit him like a tonne of bricks – Scorpius was bloody amazing, and Albus wanted to kiss him. Oh hell. That would be a BAD THING, because best friends did not kiss each other, and besides Scorpius was a BOY, and the only reason Albus wanted to kiss him was because of these damn hormones which had decided to go nuts in the past year.

So naturally, he pushed all those ridiculous thoughts out of his head and said, "Cheers Scorp."

"No problem," Scorpius smiled, then turned serious as he added, "Even when you're surrounded by people, you can feel lonely sometimes. It happens."

"Has it happened to you?"

"A couple of time."

"Where do you go when you feel lonely?"

"I mostly like to fly around the quidditch pitch. It's hard to get away with at night though."

Albus nodded and went back to star watching.

"Sometimes I like to talk to them," he said conversationally, not looking away from the bright dots, "But they're so cold and distant, it's tough."

"So make them feel what you feel," Scorpius said, "How do you feel?"

"I feel blue," Albus sighed, "mostly."

Scorpius took up a stray piece of slate, transfigured it into a pair of tinted glasses and handed them to Albus saying, "Put these on."

Albus frowned, but complied and looked up. His eyes widened and he gasped before laughing in delight.

"They're blue!"

"And therefore sympathetic to your feelings."

"Thanks Scorpius," he smiled gratefully, gazing at the other boy for slightly longer than normal, his breath hitching in a strange way when Scorpius stared right back, an odd look on his face.

Coughing, Albus turned his head away and said, "Seriously, thanks for coming up here and sitting with me. You really cheered me up."

"What are friends for?" Scorpius replied in a slightly tight voice.

"Next time you feel lonely, I'll follow you and cheer you up," Albus promised.

Scorpius grinned and replied, "I'll hold you to that."

The boys stayed up on the roof a while more, talking about class and pranks and James and all sorts of inconsequential things, until Scorpius shivered and asked to go down to bed.

"Just a few minutes more," Albus said firmly.

"And what will I get if I do?" Scorpius asked petulantly.

Looking into Scorpius' eyes right there and then, something inside Albus changed and shifted, and he felt a smile spreading across his face.

It was a smile he had never shown before, one he knew was full of promise and calculated looks, just for Scorpius. Suddenly, Scorpius had this Look on his face that Albus had never seen before; his eyes darted from side to side, his cheeks flushed and his expression flitted from excitement to anger to hope to indecision to confusion to nervousness, over and over, with some other expressions thrown in that Albus didn't recognize. It was a thrilling sight, and sent a rush of…something down Albus' spine.

All too soon though, the look was gone.

Scorpius blinked, looking dazed, before he scowled and said, "Fine, I few more minutes," and shivered once again.

Albus pulled open his cloak and motioned for Scorpius to huddle with him. Scorpius hesitated, then scooted over and leaned against Albus, curling up by his side. Albus drew his cloak around the both of them, feeling warm, happy, and not so lonely anymore.

"Albus Severus?" a voice said, and Albus blinked and looked up at Lysander and Lorcan, who were peering at him serenely.

Albus shook off the memory and stood.

"You appeared to be lost in thought," Lysander continued.

Lorcan whispered in his ear and he continued, "Perhaps a Wrackspurt passed by?"

"Perhaps," Albus smiled wanly, "So how did you find the course? Did you catch a snozzwargle?"

"No," Lysander replied, "But we think we caught a glimpse of one."

"Really?"

"Yes, they look quite like old men, with robes on, carrying a large, hooked weapon."

Albus stifled a laugh and nodded, saying, "Is that so?"

"Indeed."

A whisper from Lorcan.

"What is that in your hand?"

"Oh, it's a clue," Albus replied, slowly unclenching his hand and smoothing out the note.

The writing was a little smudged, but luckily still legible:

Once in a Blue Moon, she'll wear blue lace, and harkens to the nightingale's call. When the archer and fish-goat are side by side, the blue moon she shall rise, and then you will be tested to see how far you will fall.

"I have no idea what that means," Albus said dully, "These clues are getting weirder and weirder."

"May I?" Lysander asked, and Albus passed him the note, his mind working overtime to figure out any little bit he could.

Lorcan and Lysander read over the clue and whispered furiously between themselves, before Lysander said, "Perhaps mother will know," offering the note back.

"Maybe," Albus said, taking the proffered piece of paper, "Do you boys mind if I apparate you back to the starting line?"

"No."

Albus took a hold of both their hands and with a swift twist, popped into existence beside Luna, who merely smiled and said, "Hallo boys," as though this were a common occurrence.

"Hallo mother," Lysander smiled, "Albus Severus won the course, and he has a clue. Could you look at it?"

"Congratulations Albus Severus," Luna smiled, "Of course I will look at it."

Albus handed the note to her, and she read over it slowly.

"Oh dear," she sighed after a few moments, "I'm afraid astronomy is not my strong point. Do you know any professional astronomers?"

"No, but I know the next best thing."

As he popped into existence in England, Albus tucked his second international portkey away, and shook his head to get used to the fact that he was eight hours ahead of where he had been. Once Luna had mentioned getting an astronomer, there was only one person Albus had wanted to talk to: Hugo. He might have been nearly failing all his other subjects, but no one could best him as astronomy, so much so that by the time he was in third year, he had been guaranteed a place at a top class research centre, regardless of his OWL or NEWT results in his other subjects. Thus, Luna had gone to fetch Albus a portkey for England, while Albus had packed up his things and talked to Charlie. The motorbike had been in a right huff, but with a sincere apology from Albus, and an added, "I wish you had been there," he had been right as rain, and dreadfully excited to be on his way.

And so now here they were: Albus feeling a little dazed at the sudden time change, and Charlie giggling (it seemed he got giddy from portkey travelling). Albus pulled out his mobile phone and dialled Hugo's phone.

After several rings a sleepy voice answered, "Wuzzuhh."

Even though it was after midnight, Albus knew that Hugo had not been asleep – this was just how he sounded all the time.

"Hey Hugo, how's it going?"

"Hey Al, not too bad," Hugo drawled, his voice bordering on monotone it was so sated, "Did you hear dad found my stash?"

"I heard it was only the small one."

"A stash is still a stash. So what's happening my man?"

"Nothing much, still taking part in the trials."

"Cool, cool."

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about one of the clues-"

"Al, Al, Al," Hugo interrupted smoothly, "Like, chill. You know I don't chin-wag on the phone – the vibes mess up my chi."

Albus laughed and said, "Are you ever going to stop being such a gilly-head?"

"Are you ever going to stop being such a fag?"

"I'm not a fag."

"Exactly."

Albus rolled his eyes and held his tongue. It was pointless to argue with Hugo, who would babble and make random non-sensical statements and thoroughly confuse the hell out of anyone who wasn't equally as high.

"Can I come over to talk?" he asked.

"Sure, we're at the beach house."

"Cool, I'll be there in an hour."

"Slater."

Albus pocketed the phone and said, "All right, let's get into the air!"

Charlie whooped and off they went, soaring up and banking to the side so they were headed for the sea, the new theme song playing strong.

"I'm just a normal boy  
That sank when I fell overboard  
My ship would leave the country  
But I'd rather swim ashore

Without a life vest I'd be stuck again  
Wish I was much more masculine  
Maybe then I could learn to swim  
Like 'fourteen miles away."

***

"You know, technically I shouldn't be helping you," Hugo told him diplomatically the next morning as he, Albus and Rose sprawled on the couch in the sitting room of the Weasley beach house.

Well, technically Hugo and Albus were sprawling on the couch and Rose was perched on the edge, avidly watching the Holyhead Harpies play the Chudley Canons on the latest muggle craze to sweep the wizarding world: the television.

The combined sounds of the television and Rose's yells drowned out the sound of the ocean that lay less than five minutes from their front door. It was there that Albus had found Hugo the night before, camped out on the beach with a telescope, muttering about the "azimuth," "path of the moon," and "damn sidereal time." He had told Hugo about the trials so far and shown him the note. Hugo had taken a glance at the note, nodded and then had proceeded to roll up two joints so that they could "think and have a proper conversation."

Perma-stoned didn't even begin to cover Hugo. Hugo lived and breathed gillyweed, had every sine he'd taken his first hit at fourteen courtesy of one Roxanne Weasley, whose motto in life was "don't diss it till you try it." Albus honestly didn't know where Hugo managed to get all the gillyweed, and when he started growing it despite horrifically failing herbology, Albus was even more boggled. It truly seemed that there were only two things in life that roused any sort of passion in Hugo Weasley: astronomy and gillyweed.

Albus at times wondered what would happen in Hugo ever had to give up gillyweed, but shuddered at the possibilities; he remembered Hermione when she had tried to give up coffee. It had been just plain scary.

"You know what I think?" Hugo had drawled out slowly as they lay on the beach.

"Not really," Albus had mumbled, star gazing through half-lidded eyes.

It hadn't taken long for the floaty feeling to take a hold of him and Albus had been enjoying feeling light and airy and boneless, and hadn't wanted to hear his cousin's stoner bullshit.

"You're mad," Hugo had continued, as though Albus hadn't spoken, "you and Scorp. Mad as hatters. You're at his tea party, and you've got no hats."

"Well you're the caterpillar," Albus retorted oh-so-wittily, through his relaxed haze.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! If we'd all just get in our chrysalises, then we'd evolve in no time, and then," and here Hugo had paused dramatically, "there'd be no need for yellow."

"Yellow what?"

"Just yellow in general."

"You do realise that yellow is your house colour."

"My point exactly."

Albus had snorted and returned to star gazing, because then he could pretend that Scorpius was with him.

While last night had been great for relaxing, Albus had not gotten any answer about the clue, and he was determined that he would today.

"Why can't you help me?" he scowled, "technically."

"Because our mum practically created the trials," Hugo replied, rolling his eyes, "It would be cheating."

"Since when have you ever had morals about anything?" Albus sneered.

"Never, but mum'll flip if she finds out."

"COME ON! YOU CALL THAT AN INVERSION?!" Rose yelled, practically sitting mid-air she was hunched so far off her seat.

"Well she doesn't have to find out," Albus replied, "Come on Hugo; please don't make me resort to blackmail."

"You are good at that," Hugo sighed, "Fine, give me another look at the clue."

Albus handed it over and sat back to half watch the game and half watch Rose, who looked like she was about to have an aneurism.

Rose was the most curious mixture of her parents' extremes. She had wild, untamed, bright red hair, freckles, and slightly large front teeth. While she had her mother's brains, she had inherited the Weasley love of sports. As such, she was a complete fanatic, and most of her energy was channelled into quidditch. She studied just enough to scrap a pass in all her subjects, and then used her brains to train the Ravenclaw team: boy could that girl strategise. She couldn't fly very well, but knew exactly what made good quidditch, and as such, had coached the team to victory from second to sixth year, Slytherin beating them to the quidditch cup in seventh year, much to Albus and Scorpius' delight.

"Yes…YES…NO! no, No, NO!" Rose yelled, jumping up and stamping her feet in dismay, "Fuckin' Sloper! Can't beat to save his life!"

She paced now, eyes glued to the match, bristling with energy and anger.

"Argh! Why isn't anyone marking Change?...You call that a defensive pattern?!...What the hell – MY MOTHER COULD HANDLE A QUAFFLE BETTER THAN THAT!"

Hugo reflectively winced and Albus followed suit – comparing one to her mother was the ultimate Rose-quidditch-insults.

The game continued on until the seeker for the Harpies suddenly caught the snitch and Rose let out an agonised yell of defeat.

"Argh! Fuckin' Canons, you deserve to be bottom of the league!" she yelled, slumping back on the sofa with a resigned air about her.

Albus knew better than to console her; Rose after a Canons defeat was despondent and vicious, it was best to leave her sulk and get over it.

The seeker for the Harpies, Cho Chang, was being interviewed, and though Rose gave the television a scornful look, Albus knew that she would keep it on so she could snort in contempt and grumble at the appropriate moments.

"Canons lose?" a new voice said, and Hermione walked briskly into the room.

If she had been surprised to see Albus at the breakfast table that morning she hadn't shown it, but then again, Aunt Hermione rarely seemed surprised by anything – she had the uncanny knack for knowing exactly what was going on in her house, except of course, when it came to Hugo.

Rose grunted non-committed, and Hermione shook her head and sighed, murmuring, "…glad your father had to work today…So!" she said brightly, "Would anyone like anything in particular from the supermarket?"

"Oh, don't forget my blueberries," Hugo told her, smiling angelically up at her.

"Of course darling!" Hermione beamed, "I'm glad you read those pamphlets I got on super foods. Blueberries are very high in anti-oxidants," she told Albus in her usual all-knowing way.

"Great," Albus smiled back, not sure what she was on about.

"Rose? Is there anything you'd like?"

"Something to cure my torn, shredded soul," Rose moaned, languishing impressively on the couch.

"Chocolate it is then," Hermione nodded, "Albus?"

"I'm fine, thanks Hermione."

"Okay, I'll be back in an hour or so," Hermione told them, making her way to the door.

"Bye mum," Hugo called, and Rose grunted, already focusing on the interview.

"That was quite an impressive catch."

"Thanks. Smith gave me a tough run, but I managed to pull through."

Rose snorted and muttered, "Fuckin' Smith's a piece of shit show-off seeker, I don't know why the Canons keep him."

Albus resisted the urge to tell her it was because no one decent wanted to play for the Canons, and instead focused on Hugo, who was still reading the clue.

"What's an anti-oxidant?" he asked, thinking about Hermione's little bit of information.

"Buggered if I know," Hugo shrugged, "But what I do know is that joints taste amazing when you mix blueberries in with the weed."

"Should have known," Albus sighed exasperatedly, "Honestly, how has your mum not figured it out yet?"

"Because I'm so good looking," Hugo said matter-of-factly, and Albus could only agree.

No one knew how it happened, but Hugo was stunningly beautiful – the poster boy for the expression, "butter wouldn't melt in his mouth." People instantly trusted him, and Hugo got away with murder, mostly with his mother.

"You've been called on of the best seekers in the past decade-"

"Bullshit," Rose barked.

"-ever get special treatment?"

"Oh heavens no!"I'm not into being a celebrity. I'm not about to start demanding four blue candles, three black towels and two beers everywhere I go."

"Ugh, what a fake bitch," Rose snapped, turning off the television abruptly, "I fucking hate Cho Chang."

"You only hate her cause her team beat the Canons," Hugo told her diplomatically.

"What would you know?" Rose snarled, whirling around to face him, "I'm surprised you can function you're so high all the time!"

"The more I smoke, the clearer things become," Hugo said wisely, "You should try some sis; you need to chill."

"I do not need to chill!" Rose screeched, "Albus tell him I do not need to chill."

"Hugo, you shouldn't tell Rose to chill, because it's obviously making her even more would up."

Rose made an angry noise and threw her hands up in the air before storming out of the room.

"I don't know why she watches quidditch if it stresses her out so much," Hugo sighed.

"She's passionate," Albus shrugged, "Besides, she's not that bad compared to some other members of the Weasley clan. You do realise that we're a part of a family who's most normal member is Lily."

"Ha, that's not a good sign," Hugo chuckled.

"I know. So, that clue?"

"Right. Okay, it's not talking about an actual blue moon," Hugo explained, his voice actually taking on a bit of life, "Those are impossible to predict and ridiculously rare. Rather, and you're lucky I know this, I believe it's making a reference to the fairytale 'Blue Moon.' In it, there's a blue moon fairy, or a moon-fay. Unknown to muggles, this moon-fay is actually real, but it's invisible, so you have to use a spell to summon it."

"What spell?"

"Blue lace."

"Blue lace?"

"It's a flower," Rose told him as she walked back into the room looking significantly calmer, one hand twirling two metal balls in its palm, "There's a field of them near here."

"How do you know?"

"Hugo wanted to summon one about two years ago, so someone had to look up how to do it," Rose grinned good-naturedly, jostling her brother as she sat beside him, "I'll teach you the incantation."

"Cheers Rose," Albus grinned, "So I can go the field whenever-"

"Oh no no," Hugo interrupted, "You have to do it at night, and the clue tells you on what date."

"It does?"

"Yes. See, it says 'when the water bearer and fish-goat are side by side'."

"Oh, that's not just some non-sensical gibberish," Albus grinned ruefully.

"No way," Hugo scoffed, "The water bearer is Aquarius, and the fish-goat is Capricorn, so you need to perform the spell when those two constellations are visible. Rose, can you get my planisphere please?"

Rose gave a lazy flick of her wand, and a circular disc whizzed down the stairs and into Hugo's hands.

"It shows what the night sky looks like on each day of the year," he told Albus, twisting the top layer of the disc, "And…here. Capricorn and Aquarius first appear together on July 16th."

"Shit that's tonight!"

"Wow, good timing dude," Hugo grinned.

"Yeah, thank Merlin I got here when I did," Albus sighed.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent with Rose going over the incantation with him, while Hugo quickly tended to his stash in the basement just before Hermione returned. After a quick lunch, Albus thanked his aunt and cousins and went on his way to find the field of blue lace. According to Rose, it was unplottable, and kept changing locations every day, so the only way to find it was to keep heading southeast until it appeared. Albus and Charlie had taken off down the road (Hugo had taken far too much interest in the potential of a talking motorbike and Albus knew he had to get out of there fast), slowing down by every field to look for the blue lace and recheck the compass charm. It was slow, mind-numbing work, but Albus was resolute, and as evening drew in, they finally found the field. Charlie gave an exhausted cheer, and once they had stopped, promptly fell asleep, snoring loudly. Albus set up his tent, cooked himself dinner, and when he was finished, practised his incantation and waited for the Moon and stars to appear. At some point, Charlie woke up and was whispering excitedly.

"What do you think will happen?"

"Hopefully the moon-fay will appear and I will get my next clue," Albus replied, then scowled and added, "Though I doubt it will be that easy…"

Just then, the clouds in the sky drifted off to reveal the night sky in all its naked glory.

"It's time," Albus stated, standing and walking to the middle of the field.

"Good luck!" Charlie hissed, and Albus gave a faint smile in response.

_Time for business now…_

Albus plucked one of the blue laces from the ground in front of him and gently folded it into the palm of his hand, which closed around the flower tightly. Waving his wand precisely over his hand, he muttered the spell, concentrating with all his might.

There was a faint pop, a muffled curse, and something bumped the inside of his hand. Eyes wide, Albus uncurled his fingers to reveal the small form of a delicate-looking fairy. The first thing Albus noticed was a pair of large grey eyes staring up at him, so very like Scorpius', and the next thing he knew, he was completely blind, and there was a grievous shriek thundering in the air. Albus yelled and dropped the fairy, his eyes scrunching up tight and his hands covering his ears. Just as suddenly as it started, the noise stopped, leaving one last shriek echoing through the air.

A slow, mournful melody replaced it, and when Albus relaxed and opened his eyes, he found he wasn't in the field anymore, but in a strange, shadowy world. He was standing in the middle of a path lined with trees, a thick mist floating in the air, obscuring the clarity of far-away shapes. Everything was cast in a peculiar blue light, and when Albus looked up, he could see a larger-than-life blue moon in the sky, its beams rippling down to Earth, as though they were moving through water. The mournful melody continued, and Albus spotted a nightingale on the nearest tree, thrilling to the night sky.

"Only the nightingale may cast its eye on the blue moon," a voice said, and Albus turned to see the moon-fay hovering near him, "it holds the key."

Albus nodded, knowing this meant that he had to catch it.

"No human magic will affect it," the moon-fay told him with a smirk and popped out of existence.

Typical.

Albus sighed and took a step forward. The nightingale froze, and then took off flying away from him. Albus cursed and ran after the bird. It would fly, land on a tree, and just as Albus closed in, it would take off again.

_I will not give up…never…keep going, keep going, keep going…_

The sound of piteous crying broke through his mantra, and Albus spotted a young woman sitting at the side of the road, face buried in her hands.

"Um, miss?" he ventured, not sure if she would acknowledge his existence.

The woman gasped and looked up quickly.

"Oh!" she cried, hastily wiping her face and standing up.

Oh my, she was lovely! A sweet round face, perky nose and eyes that, despite being red-rimmed from crying, were luminous in their beauty.

_(yes, but not as beautiful as Scorp's…)_

_Well yes…_

_(That's because Scorp has eyes you could drown in.) _

_I wouldn't say drown… but they are beautiful._

_(Duh.)_

"I didn't mean to startle you," Albus said gently, "Are you okay?"

"No," the woman sighed, "I was told I would find my lover on the night of the blue moon. I have travelled for so long, and yet have not caught sight of him!"

At this, she burst into tears once again. Normally at this point, Albus would have gathered her into his arms (after all, the comforting shoulder to cry on worked wonders when one was trying to get a date), but there were more pressing and important matters at hand (namely finding Scorpius), so he patted her on the shoulder in what he hoped was a platonically comforting manner.

"Don't fret," he said, "he's out there somewhere. You can't give up just because it's not as easy as you'd hoped, not if you really…want him," he finished, stumbling over the end of the sentence as an image of Scorpius flashed in his mind.

"Oh thank you!" the woman gushed, throwing her arms around his waist and nuzzling his chest, "I cannot give up on him, I know that. It is…I am so lonely sometimes."

"I know," Albus whispered, throat tightening.

Slowly the woman pulled back, and smiled up at him invitingly.

Albus felt his face flush and he cleared his throat awkwardly, stepping back from her.

"I must be off," he said, giving a faint smile, "Good luck finding your lover."

The woman looked disappointed, but then smiled and replied, "Thank you. And good luck finding yours. I believe it will work out; after all, tonight is the night for lovers."

"But, I'm - - he's - -" Albus stammered, but the woman was already gone.

Sighing, he turned back to follow the nightingale again, ignoring the fact that his entire face was flushed at the mention of Scorpius and lovers.

Once again, he was chasing the nightingale down the never-ending path, his breath coming in sharp pants, his lungs aching, but his determination never flagging. The land seemed to be alive; branches would appear out of nowhere and smack him on the face and body, tearing at the cuts and grazes he had sustained from the Queen of Quok course. Holes would form in the ground, tripping him up, causing him to stumble and at times fall. This was yet again another example of wizarding failings in health and safety, and of Albus' disinterest in his own health, but that was the last thing on his mind at this moment. He was so close to reaching the nightingale, just a few more steps –

"Al?"

Albus jerked to a halt, spinning on the spot towards the oh-so-familiar voice that had been absent from his life for what felt like far too long.

"Scorp?"

The name was barely out of his mouth when his arms were suddenly full of the blond Slytherin.

"Al, oh Al thank Merlin!" Scorpius cried out in relief.

"Scorp?" Albus croaked again, still in absolute shock at seeing his best friend, right here and now.

_It couldn't be this easy, could it?_

His arms slowly tightened around Scorpius' waist and he buried his face in his hair, breathing deep. The familiar smell of his best friend hit him like a bluger…and yet…

And yet there was something off about it, some other smell underneath it that was strange and a little bit foul.

Albus pulled back and cupped Scorpius' face, drinking in the sight of it hungrily. It was just as it always had been: the perfect mixture of snob and sincere in the expression, delightfully pointy nose, and full lips that were curved into a large smile.

Then Albus looked into Scorpius' eyes, and his stomach plunged. They were flat and blank. It was as though his friend were dead inside.

"I'm so glad you found me," Scorpius breathed, and that same foul smell his Albus in the back of his throat.

Suddenly he knew the answer to his question.

_No, not it really fucking isn't that easy. In fact, it's really that damn hard._

"I haven't found you yet," Albus whispered, hands shaking as he distanced himself from the blonde.

"Albus?" Scorpius asked in a confused tone, stepping towards him.

"I'm so sorry," Albus croaked, tears welling up, "I'll find you Scorp, I promise I will," and with that he turned and sprinted away before he lost his resolve.

"ALBUS!!" was the last pitiful scream he heard, before it melted into the mist with a moan of despair.

The nightingale, the clue, the trial – all were forgotten as Albus ran, tears rolling down his cheeks. He was shaken to the core from his encounter with what had been a fake Scorpius, who had felt and seemed so real, but had really been a pale imitation to tempt him away. Sadness and loneliness welled up again in his chest, and tears blinded Albus as he ran. Suddenly he was sent flying by an upturned tree root and hit the ground hard. Sniffling, he curled into a ball, feeling so tired and achy and numb he could barely move.

"SCORPIUS!" he screamed into the dirt, as he clutched at his hair and sobbed brokenly.

He wanted to give up, to just lay there and never move because he couldn't take anymore…

_(But Scorp is waiting for you, __depending__ on you!)_

And as much as Albus, exhausted physically and mentally, wanted to give up, the thought of Scorpius stuck asleep, all alone, pushed and nudged his mind until it consumed him. The sadness and loneliness faded and were replaced by red-hot anger. This would NOT beat him!

Albus raised himself up off the ground, and looking around, realised he was in the middle of a town. Over to the side, four men were joining up four pieces of a moon-shaped lantern.

"Finally brothers!" one of them announced cheerfully, "Our four pieces have been returned to each other!"

The four pieces were joined, and there was a sudden trembling of the ground.

Albus yelped as a hand reached up from the ground and grabbed his ankle. Jumping back, he saw numerous amounts of bodies clawing their way up from the earth, crying in delight at the beautiful light of the lantern.

"Inferi? You have got to be kidding me," Albus snapped, pulling out his wand.

His anger fuelled the spell, and the fire consumed the inferi, as he ran through the mass, albeit a little out of control. His arms were slightly burnt, his hair singed, and his lungs were pained from breathing in hot air, but eventually he was away and free. He fell to his knees, gasping in the cool air, and pocketed his wand with shaking hands. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair as he breathed deep, trying to calm down. He was bruised and burnt, but he still had to get a move on, had to find the nightingale.

As if on cue, the mournful melody started up, and Albus saw the nightingale hovering above the path, just several feet in front of him. Relief and excitement rushed through him, and he made to stand up, but suddenly realised that his legs had gone completely numb. Not just numb; it was more as if they didn't exist. Frustrated, he kept trying to get up, or move his legs in any way, but it was futile.

"There is no point in struggling," the moon-fay said solemnly as he popped back into existence in front of Albus.

"What's going on?" Albus snarled, "What have you done?"

"It is a charm that will keep you frozen for as long as you desire to pursue the nightingale. Magic will not help you, and you will be frozen here forever. However, if you sever your tie to the chase you will be free to go."

With a flick of his hand, the moon-fay conjured up a silver dagger that landed in Albus' hand. At the same time, a silver thread appeared, linking Albus to the nightingale.

"It is your choice," was the moon-fay's parting words and Albus was left alone.

He refused to even look at the dagger, and continued to struggle to move. He pulled out his wand, tried every spell he could think of, but nothing worked, and with a sigh her pocketed it once again. Again, he struggled, trying to use his hands to drag himself along the ground, becoming more and more worked up, to the point where he gave a sudden yell and punched his leg in frustration.

There was a sudden flare of pain, and for a brief, shining moment, Albus could feel his leg, whole and THERE. But the moment was all too brief, and Albus was numb once gain. He punched his other leg, and was able to move it an inch. He punched and pinched his legs over and over again until he was finally standing. However, at that point, he had become used to the punches and his legs remained numb.

"I will not give up," he gritted out fiercely, "I will not let Scorpius go, I will never let him down!"

There was only one thing to do.

Without hesitating, Albus drove the dagger into his right thigh. The pain was bright, intense and consuming. Albus screamed in agony and joy: he could feel his leg, really feel it, for more than just a moment. He quickly wrenched the dagger out and plunged it into his left thigh, screaming again and stumbling four steps forward, before losing all feeling in his legs again.

Four more times he stabbed his legs and finally, he reached the nightingale, which had not moved during his ordeal. He was hyperventilating, sweating and shaking uncontrollably. His nerves were shot, his brain in a frenzy from the bouts of pain that came and went, but as he grasped the little bird, there was a fierce sense of pride and smug satisfaction in his gut: they could throw ANYTHING at him and he would take I on and defeat it.

As soon as he had grabbed to nightingale, the feeling returned to his legs. Excruciating pain ripped through him as the stabbings hit him full force. He screamed and fell heavily on his side, wanting to curl up, but not wanting to move his legs. There was a bright flash of light, and Scorpius appeared beside him, asleep and looking grey and faded. Overwhelming sadness came over him, but it was mingled with relief, as he knew now for definite that it hadn't been Scorpius he had left back in the forest.

Albus turned himself so he was lying alongside the blonde – here was his Scorpius, asleep and untouchable, but waiting for Albus.

"Hey Scorp," Albus sniffed, "Hold on buddy; I'm so close to finding you, and I'm not giving up I swear."

A few tears trickled down his face and he added, "I hope your trials are going better than mine, I'm so glad you don't have to do what I do, I'd go mad if you got hurt. At least I'm manly enough for scars," he joked weakly, and then sobbed brokenly.

Oh, he wanted so very badly to reach out and hug Scorpius, but knew what would happen if he tried to, and so restrained himself, for the sake of his sanity.

"Once in a blue moon means that you must undertake a great journey," the moon-fay told him, hovering above him, "You must travel far and wide, push yourself to the limits."

"I've travelled further than ever before, and I'll travel as far as it takes to find Scorpius," Albus told him fiercely, eyes not leaving Scorpius.

"Why? Why are you putting yourself through all this?"

"Because he's my best friend."

The moon-fay shook his head, his eyes grave and sad.

"It will take more than friendship for you to truly reach Scorpius."

"What more?"

"That is for you to figure out," the moon-fay replied, and snapped his fingers.

The shadowy world blinked out of existence, and Albus was immediately back in the field of blue lace, lying on the ground with Charlie calling out, asking what was going on.

***

**A/N: **sooooo whaddaya think?? PLEASE REVIEW!! next chapter: Scorpius relives some painful memories, and he and Dream-Albus have a date! tune in next week!!


	8. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**Chapter Eight: A Trip Down Memory Lane…**

When Scorpius came to in the next dream, he and Dream-Albus were standing in a small, dark room. The only light came from a tiny window high up one stone wall, and there was just enough room for him, Dream-Albus, and a waist-high stone column, upon which rested a shallow stone basin, with strange markings etched around the rim.

"What are we doing here?" Scorpius asked, trepidation breeding in his chest as he looked at the familiar basin.

"We're going to time travel," Dream-Albus replied, as he held up two clear vials that held a shimmering, silver liquid, his expression a strange mixture of sympathetic and resolute.

_Oh fuck no, a pensieve…_

Scorpius took an involuntary step back, coming up against the cold stone, but his mind registered only the basin and the liquid.

When Scorpius was nine, he had, during his daily skulk about the Manor, come across his father's pensieve. Not knowing what it was, he had climbed up on a nearby chair to get a better look. Entranced by the pretty liquid, he had leaned forward and tipped in, landing in the memory of his father's first meeting with Lord Voldemort, so he found out later on. At the time, all he had known was that there was a terrifying-looking snake-faced man towering over a teenage boy, who looked remarkably like his father, who was standing beside his grandmother. His grandmother was looking scared, but determined and she jutted her chin out, hand clasping the teenager's shoulder as he spoke.

"I am honoured that you have chosen me my Lord. I will be most able for this task; I'm very clever, probably as smart as Dumbledore was back in school."

"As boastful as your father I see," the snake-faced man had sneered, "I wonder, are you like Dumbledore in other matters? Everyone knows about the scandal with Grindlewald."

Scorpius had seen his father go deathly pale and grandmother tremble with some unknown emotion. Just as grandmother had opened her mouth to reply, a hand had grabbed Scorpius roughly, and he had suddenly found himself on the floor beside the pensieve, his father looming over him, looking absolutely livid.

"Father, I –" Scorpius had begun, but his father had interrupted him with a stony, "Get out."

Scorpius had been near tears all day, and had near bitten his lip off, mindlessly worrying that his father hated him. That evening, his father had come to him, as aloof as ever, but as apologetic, warm, and loving as he could be. However, it had been seven years before they spoke about what Scorpius had seen.

Ever since, Scorpius had steered well clear of pensieves, and in fact, the only time he had gone near one since that time was because Alb-

"Scorp," Dream-Albus said gently, pulling him out of his musings, "it's gonna be okay. I'm here with you. No musings."

Scorpius grinned at the teasing chide and nodded.

Dream-Albus looked into his eyes a while longer, and then smiled and uncorked the two vials, pouring them into the pensieve. He then turned back to Scorpius and held his hand out, a patient look on his face.

"Come on, we'll go in together."

Scorpius hesitated, and then slowly took Dream-Albus' hand and stepped up to the basin.

"On three…One…Two…Three," Dream-Albus said calmly, and Scorpius swallowed thickly as he stepped forward and leaned over into the bowl, his hand gripping Albus' tightly.

They landed neatly in a corridor, which glowed with a faint greenish light. Upon looking around, Scorpius realised they were outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room, and he felt a rush of nostalgia overcome him. True, he wasn't long out of Hogwarts, but he'd left thinking that he'd never see it again, so it was good to be back in the place he had considered his second home for seven years.

"What memory is this?" he asked Dream-Albus, who squeezed his hand and replied quietly, "You'll see."

At that moment, the common room entrance opened, and a not-much-younger version of Scorpius walked out. Scorpius took stock of the shiny prefect badge, the large stack of books in Scorp's hands, and his dishevelled, stressed-out appearance, and deduced that this was his fifth year, probably close to the OWLs, if Scorp's muttering and the quick-notes quill, erasaquill and parchment floating after him were any indication.

"Need to practise the accio charm, the shield charm, study boggarts and mandrakes, and bloody hell where IS Albus? Professor Hiwatari finally grants us access to the labs to practise potions, and the bloody git has to flounce about doing Merlin-knows-what- ARGH! Erase!" Scorp snapped at the quills, which had been writing down his every word.

When they had done so, he continued down the corridor, Scorpius and Dream-Albus following. Scorpius' stomach plummeted as he realised what memory it was they were in. Unconsciously, he tensed and tightened his grip on Dream-Albus' hand. Dream-Albus glanced at him with a puzzled expression, and said nothing, but his thumb rubbed soothing circles on the back of his fingers.

Scorpius watched himself storm down the corridor, hand tangling in his hair, as his was as well, and wanted to shout out, to grab his younger self and stop him from heading towards the secret passageway. But all he could do was watch with pity and resignation, his grip on Albus' hand the only thing keeping him calm and anchored.

As Scorp neared the passageway, he slowed and stopped at the sound of two familiar voices, talking in intimate tones.

"Thanks for the date, I'd a great time," Albus said in a sultry, almost shy voice.

"You're welcome, it was my pleasure," the other voice replied, and both Scorp's and Scorpius' lips curled into grimaces as they recognised the one Mr. Vincent Goyle – Gryffindor quidditch team captain, voted as one of the most handsome boys in school.

"Maybe we could go out again sometime soon?" Vincent asked.

"I'd like that," Albus replied in a breathy tone.

Dream-Albus gasped, and Scorpius frowned and winced as he watched himself inch forward, pulling back the tapestry a sliver and peeking in. Scorpius didn't need to look, he remembered this moment all-too-well: how utterly compelled he'd been to look, but wanting to run away at the same time and forget he'd heard anything. Alas, he couldn't help himself, and had watched Vincent lean forward, hand on the wall beside Albus' head. Albus was gazing up at him as he was resting against the wall, absently toying with the sleeve of his robe. Gently, Vincent had taken Albus' hand, neither of them breaking eye contact.

"I'd better go, I'm supposed to be practising for the potion practical with Scorp," Albus had whispered.

"Ah, the joys of OWLs," Vincent had smirked, "Glad that's past me."

"Just wait for NEWTs next year," Albus had smirked right back.

Vincent had chuckled, and then had said seriously, "May I kiss you goodbye?"

Albus' eyes had widened and his cheeks had flushed.

"You don't have to ask," he had smiled sweetly.

Vincent had smiled and leaned in, Albus meeting him half way, for a long and hungry kiss. Scorpius remembered how he had been frozen, rooted to the spot, before he had turned and walked quickly and quietly away, just as Scorp was doing now.

Scorpius made a sympathetic noise and followed himself as he marched down deep into the dungeons to the potions lab, barking more notes at his quills.

"What were you feeling?" Dream-Albus asked softly.

"Sad, shocked, confused, wistful," Scorpius shrugged, "At first I didn't know what to feel. A part of me wanted to fly into a jealous rage, but I couldn't bring myself to get that worked up."

"Because I'm not worth it?"

"Because you're worth so much more than it."

"Have you ever gotten jealous?"

"A little…mostly I just hope you find happiness."

"I hope that for you too."

"Thanks," Scorpius smiled, and leaned in and kissed Dream-Albus softly on the cheek.

Dream-Albus touched his cheek, looking surprised, and Scorpius blushed and returned to watching himself work around the potion lab, calming himself down by methodically working through each step of the instructions.

He wanted to ask why this memory had been chosen, but he already knew; out of all of the ones similar to this, this was the one that stuck out the most, was the most hurtful and pivotal.

This was not the first, nor would it be the last time that Scorpius had accidentally come across Albus in some sort of tryst with his current boyfriend/girlfriend, but it had been the first time Scorpius had been presented with concrete proof that Albus fancied boys. And by boys, he meant boys that weren't Scorpius – for surely, if he was interested, he would have said something right? And it wasn't like Scorpius could say anything to him now, not when he was dating someone else.

Scorpius watched as his younger self chopped and shredded the ingredients, eyes blinking rapidly, as the numbness wore off, and Scorpius knew that it had hit him now: Albus was interested in boys. Specifically, Albus was interested in a sixth-year handsome Gryffindor with a shiny captain's badge, and not a fifth year pale Slytherin seeker with a shiny prefect's badge. This was what Scorpius got, what he deserved for indulging in one daydream too many over the past nearly two years. Scorpius felt his heart break as he watched himself sniff, let out a great sob, and then hurriedly wipe his face and try to look busy as footsteps approached.

Albus waltzed into the lab, a dopey smile on his face. It suddenly vanished as soon as he took in Scorp's appearance.

"Scorp?" he asked in a scared, worried voice as he strode across the room, "What happened? What's wrong?"

He cupped Scorp's face, gazing intently into his eyes, and Scorpius remembered how he had simultaneously wanted to push Albus away, and kiss him until he forgot all about Vincent Goyle.

Scorp instead rolled his eyes and pulled away, replying, "It's just the boomslang skin, you know it makes my allergies act up."

"Oh sorry, I meant to get here on time…I got a little, um, sidetracked," Albus stammered, going red.

"Anything important?"

"Um…it was a date."

"Who's the lucky girl?" Scorp asked, barely hiding his smirk.

Albus paused, took a deep breath and replied nonchalantly, "It was with a bloke actually."

"Oh. So you're?"

"Bi."

There were so many things Scorpius remembered he had wanted to say at that point – yell at Albus for not telling him sooner, asking what Vincent had that he didn't, yelling at Albus for not trusting him, for not coming out to him properly, for ruining what had been a simple crush, for turning his world upside down – but he couldn't have brought himself to do anything, so instead, had just smiled tightly and said, "Welcome to the club."

The scene melted away, and the second memory started up. This time they were following Albus out of the library. He had a huge stack of books floating after him, and didn't look much different from the previous memory, so Scorpius guessed it was still fifth year, and he wondered what memory of Albus' he was in. Albus pulled out an old-looking piece of parchment and quickly glanced around, before tapping it with his wand.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The map unfurled and Albus studied it intently.

"Where is he…ah! Astronomy Tower…with Zabini? What the hell's he doing with that bloody poof?" Albus growled.

He sent his books flying down to the dungeons, and stormed off to the astronomy tower, tapping the parchment once again, and saying, "Mischief managed."

"Oh Albus no," Scorpius groaned, as he and Dream-Albus followed Albus up the stairs.

This memory was from a few days after Scorpius had spied on Albus and Vincent. He had decided that he was sick for continuing to hope that something might happen with Albus, and thus had gone out to get over him. Maximus Zabini had been giving him the hairy eyeball ever since second year, it was all too easy to catch his eye and lead him up to the astronomy tower.

Albus threw open the door of the astronomy tower, and made a shocked, strangled noise in the back of his throat, eyes wide as he beheld Scorp, pinning Maximus against the walls, kissing him savagely. At the noise, the two boys jumped apart, and Scorp's jaw dropped when he spotted Albus.

"Heeeyyy Al," Maximus drawled in his annoyingly camp voice, waggling his fingers.

"I, uh…" Albus stuttered, and then turned and fled down the stairs.

"Albus wait!" Scorp yelled, running after him, Scorpius and Dream-Albus following.

Scorpius felt the same nausea and regret coiling in his stomach as he had felt then.

"Do we have to watch this?" he pleaded, "We know what happens."

"I'm afraid we have to," Dream-Albus replied grimly.

"But it gets worse!"

"And then it gets better," Dream-Albus smiled beatifically at him.

Scorpius stared into those warm, forgiving eyes and nodded, then hurried after Albus and Scorp, towards the Gryffindor tower.

"Al wait, please!" Scorp yelled, sprinting after the dark-haired boy.

Albus sighed and stopped, waiting as Scorp caught up with him.

Scorp stopped beside him, caught his breath and then looked Albus in the eye and said sincerely, "I'm sorry."

"Why? For kissing Zabini? There's no need. If anything, I'm sorry for barging in like that."

"It's fine…are you okay? You seemed a little…hurt," Scorpius said in a small voice, licking his lips.

Albus' eyes darted down to his lips and then back up, a look of indecision on his face.

Scorpius' breath caught as he suddenly realised the tension mounting between Albus and his younger self. At the time, he'd been too shocked, embarrassed and worried about what Albus thought about him to take stock of the situation, the way Albus was looking at him. But now, watching it happen, Scorpius realised what had been unfolding.

"You mean you wanted-" he started, looking at Dream-Albus, who nodded and replied seriously, "I did."

"Oh…"

Scorpius returned to watching the scene: himself looking worried and Albus indecisive, tentatively leaning forward. Something changed in him though, snapped, and his expression shifted to one of nonchalance.

"Why would I care what you were up to with Zabini," Albus shrugged, "it's a free country."

"Oh, right," Scorp sighed, half with relief, half with sadness, "And you've got your bloke too."

"Yeah," Albus smiled tightly, then turned and continued walking towards the Gryffindor tower, "So everything's gravy, and we won't go barging in on each other anymore."

"Good plan," Scorp agreed, bumping shoulders with Albus.

The two teens continued along the corridor, Scorpius and Dream-Albus following.

"You were lying when you said you didn't care," Scorpius said in a soft, accusatory tone.

"I was."

"Why?"

"I was confused," Dream-Albus sighed, "and oblivious about how I really felt about you."

"Are…are you still oblivious?"

"Mostly…but hopefully the trials will cure that," Dream-Albus said cheerfully.

Scorpius was silent as they continued along. He didn't really know what to think now, or what he really felt about Albus. True, he still had a massive crush on his best friend, and though he tried to deny it down to Hades, there was a small part of him that admitted he was in love with Albus, but he didn't know if this was all being brought to the surface because of the dreams, or because he couldn't deny how he felt anymore.

"Why are we here?" Scorp asked as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"I gotta get some supplies I ordered from George off Freddy," Albus grinned, "The fake broomsticks came through – they look just like Cleansweep Fives, but when you touch them they turn into rubber snakes that wrap around you and won't let go for an hour."

"Wicked," Scorp grinned, "first year flying lessons?"

"Most definitely," Albus laughed, knocking politely on the portrait.

"Password?"

"Mandrake root," Albus told her sweetly.

The Fat Lady sniffed haughtily, and swung open, allowing Albus and Scorp to climb into the lion's den, Scorpius and Dream-Albus right behind them.

Having relatives in each house, Albus was blessed with knowing all the passwords (though he avoided visiting Rose as much as possible, the questions were easy to answer, but because he couldn't reason his answers out, the door never let him in). Some people were resentful, and the professors tutted and shook their heads, but the Weasleys and Potters were such a tight-knit family that it was natural for them to share everything and be able to seek each other out whenever they pleased.

As they stepped over the threshold, Albus tensed and stopped, Scorp behind him, and Scorpius heard Vincent's voice drift out from the common room.

"Got the middle Potter wrapped around my little finger, had him begging me to kiss him and everything," Vincent boasted loudly, and there were impressed murmurs in response.

Albus was so tense at this point he was shaking, and Scorpius felt just as angry and indignant on Albus' behalf as his younger self did.

"All I have to do is work my charms for a while longer and I'm sure to be invited to Godric's Hollow over the summer hols."

"Wow, and then you'd get to meet Harry Potter," an awed voice sighed.

"Exactly."

Albus and Scorp both flinched, and Albus strode into the common room, wand drawn and eyes blazing.

"So it was just a plot to meet my dad," Albus sneered, "How very Slytherin of you Vincent."

"Al-Albus!" Vincent gaped, whirling around, "How did you get in?"

"My goodness, six years and you still don't know how to get into your own common room?" Scorpius mock gasped, "I guess what they say about Gryffindor stupidity isn't exaggerated after all."

"Oh of course you'd bring your lap dog," Vincent smirked nastily at Albus, "Still panting after you like a bitch in heat I see."

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO HIM LIKE THAT!" Albus roared.

He fired off several hexes in a row at Vincent, who was thrown across the room by the force of them, and lay there unconscious. Scorp gaped at Albus, who was visibly shaking with rage, and Scorpius remembered that he had never seen Albus so angry before, and hadn't since.

Albus glared down at Vincent's prone form, before spitting out, "Pathetic," in a disdainful tone.

He then wrapped his arm around Scorp's shoulder, and led him out of the Gryffindor room and down towards the dungeons. As they walked through the Entrance Hall, Scorp took Albus' hand and pulled him out of the castle doors.

"Where are we going?" Albus asked in a tense voice, "Why are you holding my hand, you never hold my hand."

"I'm holding your hand because you need it, and we're going to blow off some steam," Scorp replied firmly, "we're both far too wound up."

Scorpius and Dream-Albus followed the two boys to the quidditch pitch, where a quick alohomara allowed Scorp to retrieve two Nimbus 2000s from the broom shed – old models, but decent enough – and then he and Albus took off flying, at first energetically and then lazily, circling and looping around each other.

Scorpius and Dream-Albus trooped up to the stands to sit and watch.

"You really helped me that night," Dream-Albus said, turning towards Scorpius, "I was so angry and upset; I thought I was going to seriously lose control of my magic."

Scorpius could only 'hmm' and nod along. He felt tired – not just from the memories, but from the whole trial itself – and he couldn't bring himself to argue with Dream-Albus over whether or not he was actually Albus. Didn't matter anyway; soon he would wake up (hopefully) and he could put all this behind him.

"Vincent was such a pillock, I still feel angry when I think about what he did," Dream-Albus growled, running his free hand through his hair.

"He's a self-seeking git," Scorpius snorted, "But he wasn't the first or last."

"It wasn't that – it was what he said to you!"

"Oh."

"He always was a boaster, I should've seen through him, but I was an idiot…and I am so sorry you saw us that day, I had no idea," Dream-Albus said, his voice and expression anguished.

Scorpius sighed and faced Dream-Albus, cupping his face.

"You weren't meant to know," he said gently, "You were having a private moment, and I didn't want to interrupt what I shouldn't have seen. I'm not proud of myself for looking as long as I did, and I didn't want you to be freaked out that I did, so I kept it to myself."

Dream-Albus looked down, fidgeting slightly, and Scorpius watched him, wondering to himself what was he thinking? Was he really Albus? Of course he wasn't (But then why does he know so much?). Because I know it too (But what about the pensieve?). I don't know, part of the dreams. Part of the trials.

Scorpius sighed, wondering how his real Albus was doing. He hoped he wasn't going through as much emotional trauma as he himself was. He prayed and wished that Albus was keeping safe and looking after himself, but if the physical trial was anything like the dream trial, in terms of intensity and how much it pushed and tested one, then Scorpius could only guess at how exhausted Albus must be. Scorpius was exhausted, deeply and truly. He felt like he had only a tenuous grip on reality left, and too soon he would lose himself in his own subconscious, and he didn't know how much longer he could fight the urge to give in to the pretence playing around him.

"You are so wonderful Scorp," Dream-Albus sighed, looking back up, "I've thought and known it for so long that it must seem like I take it for granted, and I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry for being oblivious, and for dating people who can't even hope to be as important and amazing as you are-"

"Albus, shhh," Scorpius whispered, pulling a frantic Dream-Albus into a fierce hug, "Please don't do this, please don't apologise, I can't bear to hear it."

"But I've done so much wrong."

"It's not like I keep a record of all your wrong doings," Scorpius whispered, and then echoed his fifteen year old self, "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Up in the sky, Scorp had enveloped Albus in a similar hug, and had whispered the exact same words to him.

The memory ended, and Scorpius and Dream-Albus were back in the tiny dark room.

"Ah, back again," Dream-Albus announced, "So what would you like?"

"What do you mean? Where are we?" Scorpius asked, looking around, shivering from the chill in the air.

"The Room of Requirement. Go on, think of what you want it to be."

Right now, Scorpius just wanted to close his eyes and wish for home.

_If only I had ruby slippers…_

A hysterical giggle threatened to burst out of his mouth at the thought of himself dressed up as Dorothy, so he clamped his lips shut, closed his eyes and thought of the kind of room he wanted.

A gasp from Dream-Albus and the sound of soft music told him it had worked. He opened his eyes and saw a cosy looking room; couches standing against the walls, a thick, luxurious carpet spread across the floor, dim lighting, and Einaudi's music filling the air.

"This is your idea of a good room?" Dream-Albus asked, arching a brow, "Dim lighting and songs full of sad things?"

"Einaudi's music is not full of sad things," Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"It's depressing."

"It's beautiful and it plays with your heartstrings, there's a difference."

"Whatever, all I know is it makes me feel depressed."

"Which is why I don't let you listen to it on your own," Scorpius grinned, tugging on his hand and leading him over to the couch.

The two boys collapsed on the couch, Scorpius groaning in appreciation as he sank into it. The couches at home were stiff and good for languishing impressively on, but when he was tired, there was nothing Scorpius appreciated more than a couch that practically swallowed him when he sat down on it. They sat there for a while in silence: Scorpius trying to clear his head, and Dream-Albus playing with his hand.

"So, what did you think of the memories?" Dream-Albus asked.

"Umm…" Scorpius said groggily, then blinked and yawned, "I'm not too sure why we watched them. What was the point?"

"To show you."

"To show me what?"

"Love does not envy, is not proud, not self-seeking and keeps no record of wrong."

"Why is it that every dream is a lesson?" Scorpius snapped, feeling an irrational bubble of anger rise up in him, "Is it that I'm not good enough? That I have to take on these traits in order to be worthy of love?"

He was riding the edge of hysteria again, coming undone at the seams. Was this, like Albus' incessant dating, just another way of telling him he wasn't enough, didn't deserve love? He felt like a piece of ugly rock, and these dreams were the chisel, shaping him into what Albus needed. Belatedly, he realised that there were tears running down his cheeks, and he swiped at them angrily, tearing his hand from Albus' grasp.

Albus – DREAM-Albus was looking at him with shocked, shocked eyes, probably because he, Scorpius had figured out this whole nefarious plan.

"What? No!" Dream-Albus cried out.

He grabbed Scorpius and pulled him against his chest, and murmured, "No Scorp, Merlin no. These dreams aren't to teach you to be these traits; they're to show you that you already have them, that you had them all along."

Scorpius sniffed, nuzzling Albus' chest, and made a surprised noise, while the dark-haired boy rubbed his back soothingly. They sat in their embrace as song after song played, and eventually Scorpius slowly pulled back, eyes red-rimmed, but dry.

"You okay?" Dream-Albus asked in a concerned tone.

"Mmm," Scorpius nodded, looking at Dream-Albus with a mixture of sadness and longing.

Dream-Albus smiled gently and kissed his forehead.

"Will you dance with me?" Scorpius whispered.

"In the mood for the tango just for two?" Dream-Albus asked, eyebrows waggling crazily.

Scorpius snorted and punched him lightly on the arm, replying, "You wish loverboy," as he stood and held out his hand.

Dream-Albus took it and they moved into the centre of the room. Dream-Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius' waist, and Scorpius wrapped his arms around Albus' neck, head leaning on his shoulder. They swayed slowly together, losing themselves in the feeling of their bodies pressed and moving together. Scorpius closed his eyes and felt himself slowly relax, melting against Albus.

_I could stay here forever…_

The pleasant atmosphere was suddenly broken by his stomach rumbling. The two teens laughed and stepped apart awkwardly.

"Hungry?"

"Very much so," Scorpius grinned ruefully.

"Let's get dinner then," Dream-Albus announced, turning to a wall where a door had appeared.

Without thinking, Scorpius reached out and took Dream-Albus' hand. The other boy shot him a surprised look, and then a giant smile, which Scorpius returned with no hesitation. While Scorpius was finding it easier to think of this Albus as Dream-Albus, it was becoming distinctly harder to resist the lure of the dreams and all they offered him.

The teens made their way out of the Room of Requirement and down to the kitchens. Dream-Albus tickled the pear, and when they stepped into the room, Scorpius gasped. It looked like a swanky restaurant, with a table set for two in the middle. Dream-Albus ushered Scorpius to the table and held his chair out for him. Scorpius blushed slightly and sat with a soft, "thank you."

A house elf popped up beside the tables, saying in a squeaky voice, "Good evening, I is Rumbo, what is it Mister Potter and Mister Malfoy is wanting?"

"I'll have the lasagne please," Dream-Albus asked eagerly.

"Could I please have a salmon and shrimp fishcake?" Scorpius asked.

"Certainly sirs, Rumbo will be getting your food right away sirs!" the house elf bowed, and disappeared with a sharp crack.

"Always with the lasagne," Scorpius grinned.

"Always," Dream-Albus grinned right back.

They chatted some more, nibbling on the breadsticks that sat in a basket on the table, and sipping on pumpkin juice. Soon enough, two plates laden with food appeared in front of them, and they tucked in, eating with relish.

***

"So," Scorpius said demurely, when they had eaten their fill, and were lounging on their seats, "Why am I doing these trials? What's the point?"

"To ease my mind," Dream-Albus shrugged, "Surely, even as caught up in study as you were, you noticed I was going a bit barmy the past year."

"I did," Scorpius nodded, "I was quite worried actually. You practically stopped dating altogether, had crazy mood swings and seemed to oscillate between wanting to cling to me and be as far from me as possible."

"Mmm. I was very confused. There were certain…facts I couldn't ignore anymore, and it was harder to deny and be oblivious about my true feelings."

"True feelings about what?"

Dream-Albus threw him a look and Scorpius blushed and looked down. He had known what Dream-Albus was talking about, but a part of him ached to hear it out loud. Could it be true? Could Albus have started to have feelings for him? After all, he stopped dating and had been playing Carn-

"Why were you playing Carnival all the time?" he asked bluntly, looking into Dream-Albus' eyes.

Dream-Albus paused, looking thoughtful and indecisive, before he replied softly, "Ask me that when you wake up."

Scorpius pursed his lips and frowned. As much as Dream-Albus was telling him everything in a roundabout way, it seemed that he wouldn't be getting a straight answer until he finished the trials.

"Well, why are the trials taking so long if you were starting to realise things last year?"

"Because I'm stubborn," Dream-Albus grinned, "and because you can't hurry love."

Scorpius sighed in frustration and resisted the urge to cross his arms and pout petulantly.

_I want the trials to be over! I want to be out of this fake fantasy, where nothing makes sense and I'm giving into these dreams more and more. I want Albus to find me and wake me up…_

"Um," Scorpius said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, "when Albus finds me, how is he going to wake me up?"

Dream-Albus stared into his eyes, lips twitching before he smiled THE smile at Scorpius, and Scorpius got the message all-too-clearly.

"You mean he-" Scorpius gaped, "what? NO! He - - there must be some other way!"

He clutched at his hair, internally freaking out over what was going to happen.

_What's Albus going to think? Would he even want to? Are we going to talk about it afterwards? Are we even going to be able to be friends after this? Oh god… oh god…I've been asleep all this time – what if I have terrible morning breath – Albus would be disgusted!_

The horrifying possibilities were limitless.

Dream-Albus chortled and shook his head, then said nonchalantly, "You know, ancient lovers believed a kiss would literally unite their souls, because the spirit was said to be carried in one's breath. Besides, I don't know why you're freaking out, we've kissed loads."

"But it's not real!" Scorpius moaned, "It's just part of a dream, it doesn't count, it isn't real!"

"Really?"

"Really."

Dream-Albus stood and silently walked over to Scorpius, eyes darkening. He took Scorpius' hand and pulled him up so they were standing face to face, and then tugged him against him. Scorpius hissed and moaned as their hips ground together.

"Doesn't that feel real to you?" Dream-Albus whispered in his ear.

He licked along the shell of Scorpius' ear and nibbled on the lobe before continuing on to kiss and lick and nibble his way along Scorpius' jaw and down his neck, all the while grinding against him.

"Doesn't that feel real?" he whispered again, before he captured Scorpius' lips in a bruising, demanding kiss. "Doesn't it?"

His hands were touching Scorpius' everywhere; Scorpius keened and bucked against him with need.

"Look at me," Dream-Albus commanded, and Scorpius complied, gazing into Albus' eyes with his own glazed ones.

"Does it feel real?"

"Yes, oh Merlin yes," Scorpius practically sobbed, and Albus kissed him and kissed him.

Scorpius' hands ran wildly over Albus' chest and downwards. He needed to feel Albus, needed to know he was his-

-Never had he felt so utterly played with and cheated, as he did when he was enveloped in a bright light, and the dream switched.

***

**A/N: **and that's the end of that chapter! so scorp is well and truly deep into his trials now, and so next chapter we will see how scorp and al's next trials go as we near the end!! PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!! :D


	9. Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part IX

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** unbeta'd for the mo, so any mistakes are mine!

**Summary:** Albus and Scorpius near the end of the trials…

**Word Count: **4.825

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** some violence/abuse, teasing, tortured thoughts.

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions.

**A/N:** oh my god, i'm REALLY sorry guys, last weekend was just soooo busy for me it was beyond ridiculous!! but here we go with chapter nine, where we follow Albus and Scorpius as they start to make their way to the end of the trial!! :D

i also want to give a bit shout out and thank you to **novembercate **and **Dashkin13 **for their reviews, it really means a lot to me!!! *glomps*

**Chapter Nine: Getting To The Heart of The Matter…**

Convinced that what had happened with the nightingale and moon-fay was some sort of hallucination, Albus moved to stand up, only to howl and collapse back face down on the ground, as blunt, searing pain rippled up through his thighs.

"Albus? What's going on?!" Charlie cried out shrilly.

"Legs," Albus groaned, fists clenched tight, "stabbed them."

He clenched his jaw, took a deep breath and rolled over onto his back. A pained cry escaped his pressed lips, and as he was already in agony, he pushed himself to the limit and sat up. Continuous shots of fire were running up and down his legs, and he panted harshly, fighting the urge to scream. The clue-holding hand numbly wiped his perspiration-dotted brow, while the other fumbled for his wand. He managed to pull it out of his pocket and pointed it at his legs. His hand was shaking badly, so he took a few deep breaths, staring at it until it relaxed and was still. He and Scorpius had managed to teach themselves a few healing charms and so he performed what he could, chanting under his breath and concentrating solely on his task. Eventually they were healed, though would be scarred, permanently more than likely, as he'd completely forgotten to pack any dittany when he left home for the trials.

There was still some pain left, but it was a dull, throbbing he could bear, and he managed to stand this time, gingerly shook and stretched his legs out, and sighed in relief when they remained healed; he'd never performed so many stitching and staunching charms on himself before, and had been a bit worried they'd tear or fade under pressure. Able to relax somewhat, his awareness of his surroundings returned, and Charlie's worried voice filtered back into his head.

"Albus? Albus what's going on? Do you need to go to St. Mungos? Are you hurt? Of course you're hurt, you were screaming! How are you feeling?"

"Shh, shh," Albus said soothingly, staggering back to the bike, "I'm fine, I just completed the trial. I don't need to go to St. Mungos. I was hurt but I healed myself. I feel like shit and I'm totally exhausted, but I'm okay."

"Oh good! I was so worried! You were just standing there, frozen for AGES, and then you started screaming and screaming and then you fell over, but you're okay now I'm so glad!"

Albus managed a ghost of a smile and patted Charlie's tank fondly.

"Me too," he sighed, "me too. I'm going to sleep now, see you in the morning."

"Night," Charlie said softly, lights turning off, as Albus crawled into his tent and collapsed into bed.

The next morning, though his legs were stiff and sore, Albus was feeling more clear-headed and less emotionally frazzled than the night before, though the fire of determination and ache of loneliness still played in his gut. After a quick breakfast, he pulled out the note and read, what he hoped would be his final clue.

_Desperate for kids, the wolf donned a false appearance. Starved though he was, and pulled by the waxing moon, his acting prevailed. However, should you cut this wolf open, you shall not find stones, but a man._

Albus pulled the clue apart and thought it over piece by piece: there were many fairytales with wolves in them, but what one involved children and the moon? And inside it was a man…There was one possibility that was tugging at Albus' mind, and for that he would need Teddy.

"Hello, Werewolf Equality Officer Theodore Lupin speaking."

"I cannot believe you answer your phone like that," Albus snickered down the line.

"Just wait until you've got a job and most of your calls are work-related, especially when your relatives only call when they're looking for a favour," Teddy drawled back.

"Or a shag,"Albus smirked, referring non-too-subtly to his brother and cousin.

"Like I said, a favour. So, what'll it be?"

"Well I was thinking I'd like to try doggy-style this time…"

"Har har Albus," Teddy deadpanned, "Are you sure you didn't mean to ring Scorpius instead?"

"Um, actually, Scorp's kinda the reason I'm calling…"

"Have you decided to finally shag him, or do you want to just moan about him some more?"

"Shut up Teddy," Albus snapped, face flushing, "We're taking part in the Fairytale Trials and I think my next clue is about werewolves."

Teddy sucked in a sharp breath. "The full moon's in the next day or so, isn't that a little dangerous?"

"I know, which is why I hope I'm wrong."

"Well read the clue out to me and I'll let you know what I think."

Albus read out the clue. There was a thoughtful pause, and Albus could imagine Teddy, leaning back on the back two legs of his chair, tapping his lips, while his hair continuously changed colour – which it always did when he was thinking. Whatever colour it was when he'd made a decision would let one know what he felt about it.

"Hmm."

"What colour is your hair?"

"Um…blue," Teddy admitted.

Albus winced – blue meant 'I have bad news.'

"Damn," he muttered.

"Indeed," Teddy sighed, "I suppose you'd better apparate over so I can go over it properly with you. I'll text the apparition coordinates to you now."

"Kay, thanks Teddy."

"Stop propositioning me and you're welcome."

"Sure, I'll leave that to James and Victoire," Albus chuckled.

Teddy sighed an exasperated, "Bye," and Albus hung up.

He got packed and ready to go, and when the coordinates came through, he apparated himself and Charlie away, appearing high up on a snowy mountain. A nasty wind was howling around and in front of them was a giant stone fortress.

"Bloody hell, where are we?"

Albus gaped, shivering violently.

"Siberia," a voice said, and Albus turned to see Teddy walking out from the fortress towards them.

Teddy spread his arms out in a showy gesture and announced, "Welcome to The Zoo."

****

Scorpius popped into his next dream, feeling cheated, aroused and confused – he didn't know whether to be angry he had been snatched away from a wonderful moment, or relieved he'd been prevented from doing something stupid that could potentially ruin everything with his real Albus. He decided to feel glad he'd moved on, as a new dream meant a new trial, and surely that meant he was nearing the end.

_I hope to Merlin it is; every bit more I spend with Dream-Albus is every bit more I can't control myself, and it's utterly ridiculous that this is __my__ dream and __my__ head and yet I can't escape it!_

He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by a wild animal shriek and the sounds of shouting, and only then did he notice he was in a forest, full of trees and exotic plants and animals – wild and untamed, just how he liked it. There was another shriek, and Scorpius ran off, following the sounds, until he found the source. He stumbled to a halt, eyes wide. What he saw froze him to the core and shattered his heart.

There were four men surrounding a winged horse. Two were pulling on it with ropes around its neck and legs, one was trying to shove a bit in its mouth, and the last was viciously pushing and pulling a regular horse saddle onto its back, despite the fact that he was twisting its wings at an unnatural angle.

Of all the magical and non-magical creatures, Scorpius had always had a rather large soft spot for horses, from the thestrals he had been able to see since second year, to unicorns he'd unfortunately not been able to touch since sixth year, to his favourite; winged horses. To see this level of violence, degradation and abuse brought tears to Scorpius' eye, and when the horse reared and let out a pained cry, he snapped. Pulling out his wand, he sprang forward, and hurled multiple hexes at the men until they either fled, or were thrown from the clearing.

Both Scorpius and the horse were shaking and breathing hard. The horse made a pained noise, and a tear rolled down Scorpius' cheek as he raised his wand and quickly banished the rope, bit and saddle. The horse whinnied in relief and walked slowly forward to nuzzle Scorpius affectionately. Scorpius petted it gently, and then wrapped his arms around its neck, burying his face in its mane.

"You poor thing," he choked out, "You poor, poor thing. Those men were wicked, so so wrong."

He continued to murmur comforting words to the horse, to sooth both it and himself.

"That should never, ever have happened to you," he sniffed, "You deserve kindness, not abuse."

"Love does not delight in evil," a voice murmured in his ear, and Scorpius suddenly realised that his arms were resting on skinny shoulders and his face was buried in a mass of hair.

He pulled quickly back and gaped at the boy in front of him.

"Al! What- How-" he managed to stutter out.

He felt totally shocked and unprepared – where had the horse gone? What had happened?

"Well, seeing as you're determined to remind us that this is a dream, I figured we should make it more magical. After all," Dream-Albus chuckled, as he began to morph, "isn't this what your dreams are made of?"

The winged horse stood before him once again, proud and beautiful. Scorpius gasped and took a step forward, but it bounded away into the forest.

****

"What is this place?" Albus asked, once he had stored Charlie in a bunker outside the fortress, warming charm wrapped safely around him.

"It's a werewolf sanctuary and research centre," Teddy replied, leading him into the building, "Werewolves come in around the week of the full moon, and get food, shelter and wolfsbane, and in return they let themselves be tested on, blood, D.N.A tests, that sort of thing. Oh and anyone who wants to, can try out any new potions and versions of wolfsbane we come up with."

"Wow, and they don't mind?"

"They're grateful they're prevented from being a danger," Teddy shrugged, then laughed. "It was the patients which actually first called this place The Zoo, seeing as they got fed, watered and gawked at for a couple of hours."

"That's crazy," Albus shook his head, "I couldn't imagine being able to joke about being in a situation like this."

"Better to be in a situation like this, than out there, branded a killer and being hunted down."

"True," Albus nodded, smiling slightly at Teddy's nonchalance, but then again, that was Teddy through-and-through: chilled to the core.

Which did and didn't make sense as to how he ended up attracting psychos like Victoire, and hyperactive hep-cats like James. Just one of them weird things, Albus decided, shrugging it off. After all, he had more pressing matters to deal with.

"So how's the work going anyway?" Albus asked, as they entered a large hall, where wizards and witches in medical robes, and others in grey pyjamas were milling about, talking.

"It's going well; we've finally come up with a way of preserving wolfsbane in food, so a person can carry a supply with them in case they get stuck anywhere during the full moon."

"Wow, that's really good," Albus said, impressed, "What kind of food is it in?"

"So far we've only managed one thing," Teddy replied, then suddenly changed direction, walking to the middle of the hall, "There's some over here."

He led Albus over to where a table was laid out with bowls of food and goblets of potions.

"Hey Teddy," a wizard in robes greeted him as they approached, "Who's your friend?"

"Hey Jerry, this is my god brother."

"Oh, the one that keeps floo-calling?" Jerry replied with a knowing leer.

Albus smirked at Teddy, and waggled his eyebrows, mouthing, "Teddy and James, sitting in a tree…"

The tips of Teddy's hair turned slightly pink and he elbowed Albus and replied, "No, that's James. This is his brother Albus, he just graduated from Hogwarts."

"Nice to meet you," Jerry smiled at Albus, sticking his hand out.

"You too," Albus replied, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

"So what brings you here?"

"Research," Albus replied.

"Then Teddy's your man," Jerry chuckled, nudging Teddy in the ribs.

Teddy shot him a look and then turned to Albus, a bowl in his hands.

"Here you go," he said, showing Albus the food.

Albus snorted and said, "You put it into animal crackers?"

"Not my idea," Teddy sighed, "I wanted to put it in chocolate, but these last longer, and apparently are more ironic."

"Is it a werewolf thing? Cause everything has to be ironic with them," Jerry sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Just another way of coping. Anyway, there's research to be done, so we'll be off," Teddy nodded, turning and walking away.

Albus waved bye and strode after him. Once they were out of the hall, they spent another few minutes navigating a maze of corridors before finding Teddy's office. It was slightly chilly and dark, but the carpet on the floor and pictures on the wall gave it a homey feel. Albus wandered around the room, looking at the different photographs: Teddy and his grandmother, Teddy and the Potter/Weasley clan, Teddy and James dozing on the sofa together, Teddy's parents and a giggly baby-Teddy, and then photos of the Marauders and of Remus and Sirius Teddy had found in his father's trunk.

"Tea?" Teddy asked, pulling a kettle from a cupboard.

"Shouldn't we be doing research?" Albus asked a little antsily; he needed to find the next clue.

"We will. However, there's no point in rushing things, appropriate measures must be taken."

"Such as tea?" Albus said sardonically.

"Oh most definitely," Teddy grinned, filling the kettle and putting it under a heating charm.

Albus snorted and flopped down on a nearby chair, idly messing up some papers on the desk. Not that it could look any worse. Teddy had what he called an "unorganised messy type of tidy," which basically meant that EVERYTHING was on the desk, and he knew where it all was, but woe betide anyone who went looking for anything, as they might end up lost.

The kettle soon boiled and Teddy plonked two tea bags in two cups and then filled them with boiling water.

"So where's Scorpius anyway? I haven't seen my favourite cuz in ages."

"He's your only cousin," Albus pointed out.

"Still a privilege."

Albus chuckled, and then quickly sobered up as he told Teddy about Scorpius and the trials so far. Teddy listened very seriously, and when Albus had finished, promptly burst out laughing.

"It's not funny," Albus scowled, "stop being such a wanker."

"I'm not," Teddy gasped between laughter, "it's just – oh – oh Albus – it's perfect for you really."

"What does that mean?"

"Just that you have to go through all these trials for Scorpius, to show how much you want him…I couldn't have picked it better actually," Teddy finished musingly, taking a sip of his tea.

"What are you talking about?" Albus sighed, "You're being utterly confusing Teddy."

"Thanks, it's one of my specialities," Teddy shot back with a grin, then added with a shrug, "I think this is a great way for you to figure out how you feel about Scorpius."

"He's my best mate!"

Teddy fixed him with a piercing gaze, just seconds before his lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"Do you still want to kiss him?"

Albus flushed and scowled. Teddy was the only person who knew that: Albus had blurted it out on his sixteenth birthday when Teddy had dragged him off at the crack of dawn to smoke gillyweed. ("Birthday tradition!" Teddy had boomed, "Ron and Harry did it to me on my sixteenth, and I'm passing it on!"). True to his word, Teddy had never breathed a word about it to anyone else, but he did bring it up now and then when it was just the two of them hanging out.

"So what if I do, it doesn't mean anything!"

"You're telling me that you've been climbing mountains, battling polar bears, faeries and grindylows, and stabbing yourself all so you can find a boy you've wanted to kiss for the past six years, and it doesn't mean anything other than you're best friends."

"Exactly."

"You are so oblivious…"

"Pot, kettle, black," Albus threw back.

"Yes, well, I – uh – I've been - - making some, uh, progress in that whole…thing…" Teddy murmured, his hair changing rapidly through a multitude of flustered colours.

"Actually, speaking of which, where's Victoire?"

"I sent her home; she was trying too hard to be P.C. and ended up offending most of the patients," Teddy sighed, "Anyway, at least I realise I have an issue."

Albus tried to hold his challenging stare, but had to look down. He fidgeted, messing with his cup, while Teddy sat back and drank his tea.

"He doesn't date," Albus suddenly whispered, saying out loud, and probably to himself, what the heart of his issue was for the first time, "he just…just has - - gets off with blokes in the astronomy tower. I can't do that – I – I need to be in a relationship. And he doesn't."

"Maybe he hasn't found the right person."

"What if that person's not me?" Albus asked desperately, leaning across the table.

"You won't know until you try," Teddy replied gently, "Would he be worth it?"

"Merlin yes!" Albus blurted out, blushed and stuttered, "Well, I don't – I'm not-"

"Chill Albus," Teddy said soothingly, "One step at a time."

Albus took a deep breath and nodded.

"I just…I still don't know why I want to kiss him…it seems so complicated."

"It's really very simple," Teddy chuckled, "You'll figure it out sooner or later."

"I hope so…So, the research?"

"Ah yes. Can I see the clue?" Teddy asked, already starting to pull out different folders.

Albus handed it to him, and after a moment's examination, Teddy gave a short nod and started digging through the folders.

"Do you know something?" Albus asked excitedly, "I've never heard of wolves disguising themselves to get children."

"Children? Oh, no, a kid is a baby goat," Teddy explained quickly, still pulling out papers, "There's a fairytale about that sort of thing, and there is…AHA! Here you go – there was a mountain range near here where werewolves pretended to be goatherds so they could be in an isolated place and have a steady food supply during the full moon. It's been stopped and there aren't any more werewolves there, but I dare say that's the place you're looking for."

"Great, cheers Teddy," Albus sighed in relief.

"No problem," Teddy smiled, "There's no apparition point near it, but if you fly south-west for about an hour you should find it. I'll write the coordinates down for you. I take it you'll be going straight away?"

"Yeah, sorry I can't say longer, but, well-"

"I understand," Teddy smiled, "I'd be the same if I were in your position."

"Who would you be rescuing?" Albus asked oh-so-innocently.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Teddy shot back impishly, "Pull out your wand."

"Teddy, I hardly think this is the time. Besides, I'm only seventeen!"

"Twat," Teddy snorted, "I meant your actual wand."

Albus smirked, and pulled his wand out of his pocket. Teddy tapped it with his own and it glowed a faint blue.

"There. When you reach the right place it will give off a signal," Teddy told him.

"Cool, cheers Teddy," Albus smiled, "Well I'd better be off."

Teddy walked Albus out of the shelter and into the bunker. Albus got everything ready, hugged Teddy goodbye and hopped on Charlie to take off.

"Albus?" Teddy asked suddenly.

He hesitated, while Albus cocked his head questioningly, then blurted out, "Do you know James's apparition coordinates? I need to, um, talk to him…about…something…" he trailed off, blushing brightly, his hair turning a violent pinky-red.

Albus grinned wickedly, and considered teasing his god brother mercilessly, but decided to help him, seeing as he'd finally figured things out.

"Sure, I'll text them to you," he replied, taking his phone out.

He sent the coordinates and then added casually, "So I should avoid Victoire for the next while then eh?"

"Hopefully," Teddy grinned ruefully, still blushing, "depends on how it goes with Jamie."

"Oh I'm sure it'll go brilliantly," Albus said, "You two are good together already, it can only get better from here."

"Thanks Albus, I'll let you know how it goes."

"Oh I'm sure James' shouts of joy will be audible to all and sundry," Albus replied dryly.

Teddy winced and said, "That bad?"

"Duh," Albus snorted, and then his eyes widened and he added hurriedly, "That doesn't turn you off or anything does it?"

"No no," Teddy replied, just as quickly, "It's just…I didn't notice…I'm a total idiot aren't I?"

"Don't worry about it," Albus laughed, "We all have our moments. Good luck Teddy."

"Cheers, you too Albus," Teddy called, waving him off.

As Albus flew off, the new theme song played up, its lyrics speeding through him and lighting up his nerves and determination.

"I, I'm driving black on black  
Just got my license back  
I got this feeling in my veins this train is coming off the track  
I'll ask polite if the devil needs a ride  
Because the angel on my right ain't hanging out with me  
tonight."

****

Scorpius watched the winged horse/Dream-Albus gallop out of sight, a mixture of confusion and sadness curling in his stomach. What was going on? What kind of trial was going on? Why was Dream-Albus a horse? Sure he liked horses, but he liked Albus a lot more!

"This is not what I want," he muttered to himself.

"Then maybe we should try something different," a voice purred in his ear, and a pair of mesh-encased arms wrapped around his waist.

Scorpius jumped as a mouth nuzzled sensually at his neck, and spun around, backing away when he spotted Albus. Only it was Albus as he'd never seen him before, wearing tight leather trousers, boots that hugged his calves, a shimmery mesh shirt and a…a...(Scorpius swallowed thickly) a collar, the leash dangling over his shoulder. He looked like every guy Scorpius had gotten off with, the reason being that none of them looked like Albus because the only person like Albus Scorpius wanted was Albus!

"You - - What are you-" Scorpius gaped, unable to tear his eyes away.

"I've thought about dressing like this before you know," Dream-Albus said casually, "Just to see what you'd do."

"But, this…you've never…"

"You can see the dark side of me, so what," Albus shrugged, "Don't you like it?"

"Well yes, but…no, I mean…you look very nice," Scorpius finished lamely, feeling an odd mixture of arousal, confusion and disgust.

Kohl-rimmed eyes darkened, and Dream-Albus stalked forward in a predatory manner.

"Nice? Is that all?" he said softly.

Scorpius backed away until he was up against a tree, his eyes wide and his brain screaming at him to do SOMETHING, but he was frozen, trapped in Albus' gaze. Dream-Albus crowded into his space, placing a hand either side of his head.

"It's just a dream Scorp," Dream-Albus whispered, his breath washing over Scorpius' face, "you can have anything you want. Just take it."

Scorpius closed his eyes and minutely shook his head. This was not what he wanted, it was wrong, all wrong-

Dream-Albus captured his lips in a demanding kiss and Scorpius gasped, then quickly brought his hands up and pushed the boy away.

"No," he panted, "This, this isn't what I want. Merlin…"

He massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed, wanting it all to end.

_Somebody get me through this nightmare…_

"Then what do you want?" Dream-Albus demanded.

"You Albus!" Scorpius snapped, then added softly as he cupped the boys face, "You. Even in my dreams it's the real you that I want, not some made-up fantasy."

The gothic Albus dissolved in his hands and a voice said, "Love rejoices with truth," and there was the real Dream-Albus, his Dream-Albus, stepping out from the shadowy depths of the forest.

"I guess it does," Scorpius smiled, holding his hand out.

Dream-Albus took it and Scorpius pulled him into a hug, breathing in his scent deeply.

"I'm glad you're back," he whispered, "I missed you."

"Then why do you keep fighting me and pushing me away?" Dream-Albus asked, a little angrily.

Scorpius sighed heavily and replied, "I could become so addicted to you, and that wouldn't be fair on myself or Albus when the trials are over."

Dream-Albus pulled back, an odd look on his face.

He kissed Scorpius gently, and then said, "Let's go for a walk."

****

Albus and Charlie had been flying for just over an hour, and had reached a grassy mountain range, when Albus' wand shook violently and started chanting loudly, "ALBUS AND SCORPIUS SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Albus yelled in surprise, and nearly fell of Charlie in his haste to get at his wand.

"Finite Incantatum!" he yelled, "Bloody Teddy!"

The wand was silenced, and Albus huffed as he landed Charlie in the field below.

"What are you looking for?" Charlie asked as Albus pulled off his helmet and gloves.

"I'm not sure, but I guess I'll know when I see it," Albus replied.

He pulled out his hand and walked slowly around the field, scouring it. Half an hour and more than half way through the field and still nothing had cropped up. Albus sighed and paused for a moment to stretch.

"ALBUS!" Charlie screamed, a second before something grasped him from behind and bit savagely at his neck.

Albus yelled and instinctively threw himself on his back, landing on top of whatever creature had attacked him. There was a sickening crunch and Albus rolled away as the creature howled. Jumping up, he saw a feral-looking man staggering to his feet, blood pouring down his face. The man snarled and lunged for him.

"Stupefy!"

The man was thrown backwards, and rolled over, groaning. He got to his feet, and started to growl viciously, when he froze and made a choking noise. His hands scrabbled frantically at his throat and he coughed fiercely, eyes bulging. Albus watched with slight horror as the werewolf fell to his knees, hacking violently, until he coughed up a shrivelled stone Albus immediately recognized.

"Accio bezoar!" he yelled.

The bezoar flew up from the ground and into his hand.

The werewolf blinked out of existence, but instead of Scorpius appearing like Albus had been expecting, a booming voice rang out across the field.

YOU'VE COME SO FAR, AND DONE SO WELL, AND NOW THE END AWAITS. THROUGH YOUR FINAL TRIAL YOU NOW MUST GO, BUT CAN YOU FIND IN YOUR HEART THE STRENGHT TO TAKE ONE MORE BLOW?

What kind of clue is that?" Albus wondered aloud, when the ground started shaking.

"Um, Albus?" Charlie squeaked in a terrified voice, and Albus gaped as a giant creature burst out of a nearby mountain.

****

"Dreams aren't a bad thing Scorp," Dream-Albus said as they walked hand-in-hand through the forest.

"I know," Scorpius replied, "But to dream too much is foolish, they're just delusions."

"But like I said before, what if your dreams want to come true?"

"How do I know if they do?"

"You don't. You have to take a risk."

"I thought I was supposed to be patient," Scorpius muttered defiantly.

"There's a difference between being patient and being too afraid to go for what you want."

"I don't know what I want."

Dream-Albus gave him a hard look and said, "I think you do."

"Well, I'd rather be in denial then, thank you very much," Scorpius replied stubbornly.

"How are you supposed to enjoy life then?"

"I'm not," Scorpius sneered, "all of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it."

"Then maybe you should become more like an animal," Dream-Albus countered cheekily, "You're more than capable, from what your past flings have said."

Scorpius paled and stuttered, "Oh – oh – no, that's not…that's not the real me. Please Dream-Albus, you know it's not."

"I know," Dream-Albus sighed, hugging him, "You're so full of warmth and affection, I don't know why you keep it inside."

"I don't want to be hurt," Scorpius whispered.

"Then you'll never know what it is to be loved and cherished."

Dream-Albus stepped away, and Scorpius hugged himself, lamenting the loss of warmth. He sniffed and watched Dream-Albus sit down and hold his hands up to him.

"Lie with me?" Dream-Albus asked softly, "Please. It's okay to feel Scorp, I would never hurt you."

Scorpius stared at him, a spark of some unknown emotion flashing in his chest. His arms slowly uncurled from around his torso, and reached out for Dream-Albus'.

"Okay," he whispered.

***

**A/N: **sooooo there we go!! hope you all enjoyed, please review and let me know what you think!! next chapter: albus faces the ultimate test and scorpius makes his ways backwards!


	10. End Of The Line

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part IX

**Author:** phys_nut

**Beta:** the faboo **dwarfandelf** - cheers for the help hun!

**Summary:** Albus and Scorpius near the end of the trials…

**Word Count: **4.825

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** some violence/abuse, teasing, tortured thoughts.

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions.

**A/N:** ARGH!! i am SOOOO sorry for being late with this, it was a bank holiday just there and i was stuck visiting and whatnot over the weekend! but here it is, the technical last chapter, and the epilogue will be up on saturday!!

BIG shout out to: **Rome J Wolf, ragdolljazz, **and** AcanthaAbeo, **you guys are brilliant, thanks for the lovely reviews!!!

enjoy the chapter! :D

**Chapter Ten: End Of The Line…**

Scorpius and Dream-Albus lay together for what felt to Scorpius like hours, simply relaxing against each other, stroking each other's back and hair, and exchanging soft kisses every now and then. It was glorious and decadent to do nothing but this, and for once, Scorpius didn't think about how this was a dream, or how he wasn't with the real Albus. He simply let himself feel.

Sighing, he snuggled tighter against Dream-Albus, who chuckled and kissed the top of his head.

"You're such a closet snuggler," the black-haired teen murmured.

"Says the bloke with an ankle fetish," Scorpius murmured back impishly.

"Gotta get my kicks somehow."

"Of course, along with fashioning quidditch safety-wear, trying to push your brother and god brother together, flirting with your cousin, impersonating your father, and eating insane amounts of muggle sweets."

"What can I say, I live life to the max. And speaking of sweets, pop rocket?" Dream-Albus asked, offering from a bag he's produced out of thin air.

Scorpius took some sweets and popped them in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully and savouring the taste. The two teens ate the bag between them and lay together a while longer, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the forest.

"Scorp?"

"Mmm?"

"I know you say it's not true, but I am Albus. You know I'm Albus, don't you?"

Scorpius wanted to roll his eyes and tell Dream-Albus that no he was not the real Albus, and thus was completely shocked when he heard himself say, "I know."

Dream-Albus looked seriously at him, and asked, "How long have you felt anything more than friendship for me?"

"Since third year," Scorpius replied, feeling that it was okay for once, to tell the truth, and not hide his secret – in fact, he HAD to be honest.

"That's a long time," Dream-Albus remarked.

"Doesn't feel like long to me."

"And do you still feel that way about me?"

"Of course I do Albus, you know I feel so much more than friendship for you," Scorpius admitted.

The world blinked, and Scorpius found himself and Dream-Albus standing in the charms classroom of Hogwarts. Only it wasn't the real one, it was a pensieve, as they were watching Scorp surreptitiously watch Albus flirt shamelessly with a sweet, but vapid Hufflepuff with tits the size of large melons. The girl giggled as Albus conjured up a flock of tiny birds, and had them circle around her head. Scorpius rolled his eyes at the sappiness of the gesture, but no doubt the girl thought it was sweet and romantic – exactly why Albus was doing it.

"Even when I do things like this, do you still hope that I might notice you someday?" Dream-Albus asked quietly.

"Yes," Scorpius whispered shakily, his stomach churning.

And it was true. Scorpius realised he was sick and wrong, but he couldn't help but hope that one day, maybe, Albus would turn around and notice him, see that he would always be there for him, no matter how many boastful, jealous or vain idiots he dated.

"Would it matter to you how many people I date in the future? Would it change your feelings?"

"No," Scorpius replied shakily, eyes tearing up slightly, as he realised that he would never ever stop wanting Albus, loving Albus, and therefore was doomed to be alone forever.

Pensieve-Scorp turned around in his seat and looked straight at them, a sad, wistful smile on his face.

"Love hopes," he told them, "it perseveres."

"Love is obviously stupid and foolish," Scorpius muttered, "and it's sick and wrong and distasteful and humiliating and I wish I didn't-"

He paused, breathing heavily, feeling something strange and uncertain fluttering in his chest.

"Why do I feel so compelled to tell the truth?" he asked in a low voice.

Dream-Albus looked chagrined and guilty, and hesitated a moment, nibbling on his bottom lip, before he replied, "The pop rockets were infused with veritaserum."

"They – what?" Scorpius said furiously, "How could you?!"

"Because you needed to admit the truth," Dream-Albus replied calmly, "You're so in denial about how you feel, you actually believe that there's nothing, and it's choking you Scorp."

"That doesn't give you the right to drug me!" Scorpius spat out.

He had never felt so used and violated before, and tiny crackles of magic appeared in the air around him.

"Scorp please-" Dream-Albus started, taking a step towards him, but Scorpius jumped back, hissing, "Stay the fuck away from me Dream-Albus, I can't stand you!"

Dream-Albus' face crumpled, and he remained frozen, one hand stretched out pleadingly towards Scorpius. Scorpius' heart wrenched both at the sight and the memory of what Dream-Albus had done to him. With one last glare at the raven-haired boy, Scorpius turned and ran, needing to be out of this memory, away from Dream-Albus, away from everything. However, as he tried to run out of the school, it continually morphed and changed around him, and different scenes appeared around him, as though he were running through many pensieve memories. He saw Albus curled up on the couch in the Slytherin common room with Gareth Nott – the most serious relationship he'd ever been in, clocking in at six months – while Scorp eyed them balefully and then stormed out to the Forbidden Forest, where he'd gotten totally stoned out of his mind with Hugo. He saw his own one and only date with Maximus in sixth year; an awkward affair which had culminated in the painful and unpleasant loss of his virginity (Scorpius had done neither since). He saw said loss of virginity: a few tears rolling down Scorp's cheeks as he gasped and panted and stroked his half-hard cock desperately, and he saw the Yule Ball, where Albus had asked him to dance, and they had swayed together, Scorpius allowing himself a brief and shining moment to imagine that they were together, dancing as a couple, and not just best friends. The memories changed faster and faster, until Scorpius was lost in a blur of faces, the individual noises meshing together into a continuous groaning noise. He felt dizzy and sick, and suddenly let out a scream of despair and fell to his knees.

Through the haze of memories, a voice cried out, "Scorpius!" and Scorpius found himself enveloped in warm arms, and suddenly there was silence.

Scorpius' eyes popped open in surprise, and he blinked wetly against the bright light of the sun. They were on the hill where they had had the picnic after that god-awful quidditch match, Scorpius sitting and Dream-Albus kneeling beside him, his head buried against Scorpius' chest.

"I'm so sorry Scorp, so so sorry," he sobbed, shoulders shaking.

"You abused my trust in you."

"I know, it was awful and unforgivable, but please, please don't tell me you can't stand me. Please don't yell, please don't make that awful sound."

"Did it hurt you?" Scorpius asked softly, already feeling himself beginning to forgive Dream-Albus.

Dream-Albus nodded and replied quietly, "It was like you shot me down."

"Why did you do it?" Scorpius sighed miserably, completely unable to stay mad at his friend.

"Because you were in such deep denial, I didn't know if you'd ever be able to accept even to yourself how deeply you feel for me. I just wanted to help you."

Scorpius thought this over, and then snorted and chuckled. He reached down and took Albus' face in his hands, pulling it gently away from his chest so he could stare into the boy's eyes.

"As you've been trying to teach me, you have to be patient. You can't rush someone just because they're in denial, and you have to be kind to them, because it's not their fault that they're oblivious."

Dream-Albus beamed up brilliantly at him and breathed, "Exactly. Scorp that's exactly it! You're getting it, you're taking the trials and using them for you."

"What does that mean?" Scorpius asked, breath hitching – surely it couldn't be?

"It means," Dream-Albus smiled, "that the trials are coming to an end. Which explains why we're here. We're going back to the start."

"Back…back to the start of the trials?"

"Yeah. That's where all of the root issues were addressed; it's where you'll face them once again."

"And what will happen?"

"That depends on you," Dream-Albus answered, and flashed THE Smile at him.

Scorpius was so caught up in Dream-Albus' smile and gaze, that he barely noticed he was dancing between his usual decision, until the teen placed his hands on Scorpius'.

"Don't waste time on decisions," he whispered, "just do what feels right Scorpius."

What felt right to Scorpius was to lean in and kiss Dream-Albus gently and then pull back to stare into his eyes, thumbs stroking his cheeks.

The Sun beamed, a light wind blew around them, and in the distance, there was a quidditch match being played out. Sounds of screams, boos and cheers drifted across the Forbidden Forest, followed by Gilderoy Lockhart's voice booming out, "My my, it's a fine day for riding on, eh…horses made of sticks! Isn't it folks? Especially flying ones! … What do you mean they're brooms? Brooms don't fly! No no, these are undoubtedly part stick, part invisible flying horses… Remember when I used to play?? I've never played on these horses before in my life. You sir are, I believe, certifiable. Oh yes, also, I have a message for Scorpius – my my, now isn't that a strange name! I wonder what his parents were thinking? Reminds me of that time in Nepal – all right, all right! Scorpius old chap, don't forget, love is kind."

"Why am I being reminded?" Scorpius huffed, crossing his arms, "I'd like to think I'm very kind, especially to you Albus."

"You are," Dream-Albus chuckled, standing up and holding his hand out, "come on."

Scorpius took his hand and was hauled to his feet.

"What are we doing?" he asked, as Dream-Albus wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Moving on," Dream-Albus smiled, then turned sharply to apparate them away.

****

Albus' jaw dropped and he stared in absolute shock at the dragon – a Hungarian Horntail to be exact – that had just burst out of the nearby mountain, and was roaring and snarling viciously, burst of fire shooting out of its mouth. Albus had a quick flashback of the Hungarian Horntail Fireworks Uncle George had premiered a few Halloween's ago, that flew through the sky, streams of bright colour shooting from their mouths. They had been amazing. The reality however, was terrifying.

The dragon swivelled its head around, and fixed its eyes on Albus. For a moment, teenager and creature remained frozen, eyes locked, and then the dragon spread its wings, leapt up and swooped for him.

Before Albus realised what was going on, he was running backwards, screaming, "Charlie! Airborn NOW!"

He threw himself astride the bike, which yelled, "You got it!" before shooting up into the sky.

"And she bangs, she bangs  
Oh baby  
When she moves, she moves  
I go crazy  
'Cause she looks like a flower but she stings  
like a bee  
Like every girl in history  
She bangs, she bangs!"

"What the fuck?" Albus yelled in disbelief, "Ricky fuckin Martin? What sort of a battle song is that?"

"Um, good beat?" Charlie tried diplomatically, then screeched and swerved violently as the dragon shot flames in their direction.

Albus threw up the strongest shield charm he could, and started flinging hexes at the dragon, while his free hand held onto the handlebars, keeping contact to keep the shield charm going just a bit more. Charlie swerved, dived and flew as quickly and evasively as he could, twisting around the dragon, spiralling so Albus was continually facing the beast.

Albus' heart was beating a million miles a minute, his blood sang in his ears, and adrenaline washed so vigorously through his system he nearly froze up. It felt as though he were in a sort of intense wizarding duel, only his opponent was not a wizard, and he was sitting on top of his second.

"Aguamenti! Aguamenti!" he yelled, trying to aim the water down the dragon's throat.

The dragon roared, breathed out more fire and tried to hit them with its tail, but Charlie pulled off a slick move and managed to avoid any damage.

_How the hell am I supposed to defeat it?! Come on Albus, think, __think__. There must be something Uncle Charlie told us during one of his visits…_

Try as he might though, all Albus could remember was his uncle telling them about actually managing to ride a dragon at one point, adding jokingly, "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster by your side kid."

_Ugh! __Why__ did James have to get him to watch that Star Wars marathon?_

Albus and Charlie continued to fly manically over the field, the dragon never letting up, and soon it was clear that the teen and his noble steed were tiring heavily.

"Al…I'm…I'm not too sure how much longer…I can keep going," Charlie wheezed.

"I know," Albus replied tightly, "The next chance we get we'll land."

"Kay…"

The problem though, was that no chance ever appeared; the dragon remained below them, snapping up, breathing fire and swiping its tail upwards.

_Why is it doing that? If it flew above us it could hit us with its underbell-_

Of course!

"The underbelly's weak," he told Charlie, "We have to get underneath the dragon."

"I'll do my best!" Charlie yelled, then looped and dived sharply.

The dragon twisted and snapped at them, but Charlie spiralled off to the side, continuing down towards the ground. The dragon rushed at them from the side, but missed – and then – they were clear! Charlie whooped in triumph and levelled out as they neared the ground. Albus grinned and turned to aim for the dragon's underbelly.

"Shit! Char-"

Albus' yell was cut short as the dragon's tail clipped the back of the bike. He was thrown into the air and pulled up a cushioning charm around himself. He landed gently on the ground, and rolled to a halt.

"Charlie? Charlie?" he called frantically, looking around the area.

"Over…here…"

Albus scrabbled over to the bike, which was lying on its side, a large dent in the exhaust and at the rear of the frame.

"Shit, are you okay?"

"I think so…don't worry about me Al, just get that dragon," Charlie rasped weakly.

"You got it buddy," Albus said firmly, "I won't be gone long."

He turned, and looked up at the dragon hovering above them.

_Gotta get that underbelly…_

Albus set his jaw, gripped his wand, and set the strongest shield charm he could muster. That done, he charged forward, sprinting as fast as he could towards the dragon. The dragon roared and spat a fireball at him. Albus dived to the side, and continued rolling as another one was thrown. He cursed and leapt to his feet, continuing on, dodging and swerving as a series of fireballs was sent his way.

_This is ridiculous! I cannot believe I'm doing this, risking my life! But I can't give up, I can't let this defeat me, Scorpius is counting on me, and I'm totally willing to risk everything to rescue him. Dear Merlin, for all I'm doing for him I really must l-_

Albus stuttered to a sudden halt as everything clicked into place. It was as though lightening had struck his brain and cleared away his denial. It all made sense, was so, so simple: wanting to kiss Scorpius, save Scorpius, needing Scorpius, needing to be with him, willing to do anything and everything for him, willing to die for Scorpius.

"I love him," Albus whispered in wonder, and then threw his hands up and yelled out ecstatically, "I LOVE HIM!"

His world exploded with a burst of light.

****

Scorpius and Dream-Albus popped into existence back in the casino. Fred and George looked up from their card game and grinned identical boyish grins.

"Wotcher boys," George greeted them, throwing down a king of hearts.

"What brings you to our little neck of the woods?" Fred drawled, throwing down a second king of hearts.

"We're going back to the start," Dream-Albus replied, tugging Scorpius over to the table.

"Ahh," the twins said, sharing a secret look.

"Finally learning to play the game right?" Fred asked Scorpius.

"Ready to take a risk and hit that jackpot?" George added.

"I think so," Scorpius replied slowly, hand tangled in his hair, "more so than the last time you saw me at any rate."

The twins smiled in satisfaction, and asked simultaneously, "Fancy a game?"

Dream-Albus looked questioningly at Scorpius, who hesitated momentarily, before replying, "Sure, you're on."

"Excellent," Fred grinned, rubbing his hands eagerly together, while George gathered the cards and shuffled them.

Dream-Albus and Scorpius pulled up chairs and sat at the table across from them and George dealt out the cards. This time around, Scorpius felt his old instincts and judgement that he naturally possessed in the waking world, wash over him, and a sense of peace and infinite patience settled on him. He played out the game perfectly, slowly drawing the bets out and flushing out the bluffs, until it was himself and Dream-Albus left betting.

"I'll raise you…twenty," Scorpius said, sliding his chips towards the pot.

"I'll see you," Dream-Albus countered confidently, "show me what you got."

Scorpius held his gaze as he lowered his cards. Dream-Albus' eyes flicked down towards them and back up. He smiled widely and lowered his cards.

"Congratulations Scorp."

Scorpius glanced down and saw that he did indeed have the better hand. A sense of triumph washed over him, feeling so much more than a simple triumph of winning a game. He hopped off his chair and sauntered over to Dream-Albus, pulling the teen off his chair.

"What changed?" Fred and George wondered aloud.

Scorpius smirked and said, "I learned that patience is a virtue," and with that, gathered the raven-haired teen into his arms and kissed him.

The world shifted, and they were suddenly surrounded by the sounds of chattering, screaming, whirring machinery and loud music. As they pulled away from each other, Scorpius and Dream-Albus saw that they were back in the carnival.

"We're here," Scorpius breathed, a mixture of excitement and nostalgia mixing in his belly, as he looked around the place where he and Dream-Albus had shared their first kiss.

"Yeah," Dream-Albus smiled, taking Scorpius' hand and tugging him along, "come on, they're expecting us."

As much as he wanted to, Scorpius knew it would be redundant to ask who was expecting them when he already knew.

They walked past the Tunnel of Love, where James was talking into the metal cone. He turned and faced them as he continued to speak.

"Dare you bare your heart to the possibility of ecstasy, or a severe crushing? Dare you admit your true feelings? Remember," he finished, giving Scorpius a meaningful look, "the best, if not only, way to deal with it is to GIVE IN."

Scorpius gave a quick nod, this time understanding what James was trying to tell him.

"I dare," he mouthed at the auburn man, who grinned and saluted them on their way.

"Hello boys," Ginny smiled down at them, "Candy floss?"

Dream-Albus nodded eagerly, and she handed him a bag, and then turned to Scorpius.

"Scorpius?"

Scorpius hesitated, and then said slowly, "I would like some please."

Ginny beamed and handed him a bag, then leaned forward on the counter top as she said, "developing a sweet tooth?"

Scorpius coughed and replied, "I'm…getting used to it."

"Good," Ginny nodded, "and you were able to admit you wanted it. That's good too."

Scorpius was surprised to find he agreed with her.

"Yes, yes it is…and I think I might be able to admit I want other things too."

Ginny smiled and patted his hand fondly, and then Albus was dragging him off to the fortune teller's tent.

"You're finally managing to find your way out Scorpius," Harry murmured seriously, gazing into the crystal ball, "don't forget; the answer's right beside you."

At that moment, Dream-Albus' hand found his, and Scorpius looked at him in surprise, before he quickly smiled at him.

_Of course, __beside__ me._

"Albus? Why did this dream repeat itself?" Scorpius asked the teen as they made their way to the hook-a-duck, "And why did we skip the dreams in between this one and the poker game?"

"The first dream repeats itself so that the idea that you're dreaming is implanted in your head," Dream-Albus told him, "and the dreams in between were redundant because they were for you to realise that you were stuck asleep. Once you did, the trial could begin properly, which it did at the poker game."

"Oh," Scorpius said, "clever. Frustrating, but clever."

"Hello boys," Lily grinned as they approached hand-in-hand, "care for a go?"

They took a hook each and pulled out their ducks. Albus got a liquorice wand, and Scorpius a sugar quill.

"No bag of joy?" Scorpius smirked up at Lily, who shrugged and replied, "This is where I embrace my inner Hufflepuff and tell you something sappy about how the joy was in you all along, but I doubt you'd appreciate it."

"True," Scorpius grimaced, rolling his eyes.

Lily grinned and added, "The bag's a metaphore Scorp, you don't need it."

"I know," Scorpius murmured, eyes sliding over Dream-Albus.

"Not so oblivious anymore?" Lily smirked.

"I don't think so," Scorpius smirked, "not about some things anyway."

"Good to hear."

This time when Dream-Albus and Scorpius watched James dance and sing, Scorpius felt no compulsion to join in, not now when he finally figured out what the dreams were trying to tell him. Once the eldest Potter had finished, Scorpius pulled Dream-Albus up to the tunnel.

"Two please."

"Sure thing," James grinned easily, "hop in, it's on the house."

The cart stopped half-way through, and Dream-Albus snuggled up against Scorpius, who threw an arm around him and kissed the top of his head.

"I love you Scorpius," he breathed out softly.

Scorpius' breath hitched and he felt his heart stutter and then crack.

"Don't say that," he finished, pushing the other boy away.

"What's wrong?" Dream-Albus asked, confused.

"What's wrong?!" Scorpius practically shrieked, "It's fair enough getting me to admit how I feel, but - - how could you say something like that?"

"How?" Dream-Albus said hollowly, eyes watering up, "Did you not want to hear that?"

"No, that's not it," Scorpius groaned, "How could - - don't you know how much that torments me? To hear what I've wanted to hear for years, from something that's made up from my, my dreams, and imagination and wishes! It's too much Albus, too damn much."

Scorpius was shaking violently, and he wrapped his arms tightly around himself as if it would prevent him from flying apart.

"Your dreams?" Dream-Albus said, perplexed.

Realisation dawned across his face, and he gave a sharp laugh, shaking his head.

"Oh Scorp no, you've got it all wrong. I'm Albus."

"Yes, I'm well aware of it."

"No but you don't understand. I'm not made from you, I'm made from me. The pensieve Scorp," he explained, "don't you remember? When we had our interviews for the trials we had a pensieve scan so they could engineer the trials around what we knew. I'm made from my memories, albeit with knowledge about the trials added, so I could help you through, but it's me Scorp."

"Oh my god," Scorpius whispered, eyes closing.

He remembered it now; how he had wanted to adamantly refuse to take part in a pensieve scan, but Albus had smiled The Smile at him, and had held his hand throughout the entire thing. Scorpius' eyes opened, and he regarded the other boy in a new light. He scrabbled over to his friend and kneeled by him, running his hands over his chest, arms, neck and face, which he then cupped as he stared intensely into green eyes.

"Albus?" he whispered with trepidation.

"Hi," Albus replied, flashing The Smile at him.

"Albus…Albus, Albus, Al, Al, Al," Scorpius crooned, and then kissed him passionately.

"Scorp," Albus groaned, kissing him back and pulling him onto his lap, "I can't promise it will be easy, but will you wait for me? Will you wait for me to realise consciously how I feel about you?"

"Yes Al, yes," Scorpius replied, placing frantic little kisses on Albus' jaw and cheeks, "I'd wait forever for you, you're all I want."

The dream burst into bright white light.

****

As the light dimmed, Albus cracked open an eye, and saw that the world had changed dramatically. In the centre of the clearing, Scorpius was laid out on a bed, sleeping peacefully, and he was in colour. Now, it was the world around him that was a faded off-gray, and he watched in amazement as the dragon dived for him and flew straight through him.

"I cannot trust my eyes," Albus murmured, "nothing is as it seems."

He suddenly remembered the grasshopper at these words, and turned and sprinted over to Charlie, fumbling for his bag. He opened it and pulled out the glass bottle he'd gotten back in Ireland, sighing in relief when he saw it wasn't broken. Standing up, he took a deep breath, held it, and opened the bottle.

There was a whining, sucking noise and the faded gray crumpled in on itself, and spinning, was sucked into the bottle. When it was all in, Albus corked the bottle, leaving him, Charlie and Scorpius in the field in a normally coloured world.

Albus, frozen for a moment, stared at his friend stretched out on the bed, unable to process that it was over, that that was really Scorpius, right there, and whole and his. Well, hopefully his. The moment passed, and reality came crashing down.

"SCORPIUS!" Albus yelled joyfully, sprinting up to the bed.

He shook Scorpius' shouldered gently, but the blond didn't stir.

"Scorpius?" he shook the teen harder and prodded him on the side.

"He won't wake up," Albus whined, after a few minutes of trying.

Charlie sighed with exasperation and called out weakly, "Just think of how all princes wake the princesses from an enchanted sleep."

_Oh…_

Albus started, staring down at Scorpius, slightly agog. What would Scorpius think? Would he be really awkward about it? Would they be able to talk about it? He hadn't brushed his teeth since early that morning – what if he had bad breath?!

Albus snorted and rolled his eyes, quashing the negative thoughts immediately.

"Albus Severus Potter," he scolded himself, "you are in love with him, so stop worrying about what ifs and get on with it."

He gazed wondrously at Scorpius for a while longer. Merlin he was GORGEOUS. Sure, Albus had always known that, but he had never truly realised just how much he took it for granted that he could look at Scorpius whenever and for however long he wanted to before. He knelt by the bed, and put one hand on Scorpius's hand, and the other on his cheek, soaking up the warmth and drinking in the sight of him greedily. He realised that he may never get a chance at this again, and the thought made his throat tighten and his stomach churn unpleasantly. Surely that couldn't be true, not after all they had been through…why else would they have been put in this trial if Scorpius didn't feel something back for him? Albus swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling his eyes prick slightly and he snorted at himself.

"Would you look at me Scorp? Crying like a girl," he joked, "and all because I get to hold your hand…Dammit Scorpius, I – I love you, and if you let me I swear I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much."

Resolved that if this was going to be his only chance he was going to make it bloody count, he gently kissed Scorpius on the forehead, then smiled, leaned down, and then lovingly, hungrily and FINALLY, kissed the boy he'd wanted to since he was eleven.

***

**A/N**: THE TRIALS ARE OVER!!! X3 i hope you all enjoyed Al and Scorp's wacky journey! in the epilogue: the boys confess how they feel, teddy and james resolve things and it's time to partay! :D PLEASE REVIEW I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND SHOWER YOU WILL MAGICAL INTERNET GLITTER!!


	11. 11 Epilogue

**Title: **The Summer Trials Part XI

**Author:** phys_nut

**Summary:** The Trials are over, and Albus and Scorpius can finally be together.

**Word Count: **5,464

**Pairings:** AS/S

**Warnings:** kissing, boy sex (do people still use lemon anymore? Or am I totally out of the loop??) sap/fluff

**Disclaimer: **none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions.

**A/N:** aaassss promised, the epilogue and FINAL chapter of The Summer Trials!!! i want to give a big gigantic thank you to everyone who read and took the time to leave me a comment, and to everyone who took the time to read my little story. i've had great fun writing it and i hope you've all enjoyed it too!!

Big shout out to **Rome J Wolf** (haha, i love that line too! and yes, here we go with what happens afterwards, hope you like!) and **murtaghxblaiseyum **(no, scorp just wanted to wait to tell the real albus he loved him, it's alright!!) for their reviews for the previous chapter.

Go forth and READ!!

**Epilogue**

At first, there was nothing, and then, a light breeze swept over them, curling around Albus' neck and playing with the tendrils of hair there, and the faint sound of music playing reached his ears. He was about the pull back to check on Scorpius, when suddenly, his friend's lips changed, from the shapeless, malleable form of sleep, to moulding against his, kissing him back. Albus' breath hitched, and tingles zipped through his body, pooling in his stomach. The kiss deepened some more, and Scorpius let out a faint whimper, then suddenly froze. Albus slowly pulled back to see his friend blinking up in shock at him, and his heart thumped erratically as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Al?" Scorpius croaked, looking up at the teen looming over him, looking at him with a mixture of anxiety and warmth.

Green eyes sparkled with happiness and relief, and Albus replied, "Yeah, it's me Scorp. I found you."

"You look like shit," Scorpius said hoarsely, reaching up to stroke Albus' cheek.

"Nice to see you too Scorp, glad to see you're as charming as ever," Albus smirked, sitting on the bed beside him.

"That's me," Scorpius smirked, "…am…am I…water please?" Scorpius finally whispered, sitting up and rubbing his neck.

His throat felt dry and a little sore from unused, and Scorpius guessed that he must finally be awake. He couldn't be sure yet, didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed.

Albus conjured up a cup and filled it with water, then handed it to Scorpius, who drank it gratefully.

He coughed, and then said softly, "Am I awake?"

"Yes," Albus smiled, "You're awake and the trials are over."

"Oh thank Merlin," Scorpius sighed in relief, leaning his head on Albus' shoulder.

They sat in silence, drinking in the feeling of one another, happy to be together again.

"So, how did you wake me up?" Scorpius asked casually.

"You know how I did," Albus replied tightly, his face flushing.

"Yeah…" Scorpius murmured, face also turning red, "just wanted to be sure…did…do I have bad breath?" he whispered, trying, but failing, to sound nonchalant.

Albus chuckled, and ran a hand through Scorpius' hair gently, as he said, "Not in the slightest…Do you mind that I?"

"Oh! No," Scorpius replied hastily, though he tried not to sound too eager, "I mean, it had to be done, right?"

"Right…" Albus murmured, swallowing heavily, as he prepped himself to say what he needed to.

Nerves were building up in his chest, but if there was one thing the trials had taught him it was that he couldn't be without Scorpius, and he needed to let his friend know.

"Scorpius, I…" he paused, glanced away, but then shook his head and looked Scorpius in the eye as he continued, "I've realised that there is nothing I wouldn't do for you, that…that you mean more to me than anything, and I've been an utter twat denying the obvious for the past seven years."

He paused again, to gather his thoughts, while Scorpius stared at him with wide, hopeful, yet confused eyes.

"Albus?" he said softly, reaching out and taking Albus' hand, interlacing their fingers.

Albus shivered and tightened his grip on Scorpius' hand, eyes never leaving the blonde's. He searched those eyes for a few moments, and then gave a large smile.

"The truth is…I love you Scorpius. I've loved you for longer than I realise, and I'm not hiding how I feel anymore. I know you don't date, or get involved with anyone, but you should know how I feel-"

He was cut off by Scorpius lunging into his arms and kissing him passionately. Albus made a surprised, pleased noise and kissed him back, parting his lips and thrusting his tongue into Scorpius' mouth, while his arms wrapped around the teen's body, running over his back possessively. Scorpius had twined his hands in Albus' hair, and he kissed him fiercely, before pulling back to stare at him, his pupils dilated and dazed-looking. He and Albus panted harshly, while their hands continued to grip each other, never wanting to let go.

"Albus I – I never dated anyone because I've only ever wanted you," Scorpius confessed, "I love you too, I love you so much-"

This time it was Albus that leaned in, cutting him off with a hungry kiss that turned his insides to jelly and sent his head spinning. Suddenly the world around them came to life; the wind twirled around them, bursts of light exploded, and music poured out of the air.

"We, are the champions, my friend, and we'll keep on fighting, till the end!"

The two boys gasped and parted, staring in wonder at the cacophony of energy and joy around them.

"Oh, look!"

Albus looked up and saw giant letters being formed in the sky: CONGRATULATIONS! THE FAIRYTALE TRIALS ARE NOW COMPLETE!

Albus and Scorpius grinned at each other, and leaned in to kiss again. It was completely wonderful and addictive, the slide of lips and tongues, the feel of their chests pushed together, their arms around each other, and best of all, the knowledge that they truly loved each other. It wasn't a dream, or a hallucination, it was real, and it was THEIRS.

Eventually they pulled away, and sat, looking over each other, savouring every touch and look that they gave and received, while smiling joyfully.

"You've really been through the wars," Scorpius murmured sadly, fingering a small scar over a half-burnt-off eyebrow, "just to find me."

"You're worth it," Albus said sincerely, "You're worth everything and more."

"Still," Scorpius murmured, "We should get you some dittany. Where are we?" he asked, taking in their surroundings properly for the first time.

"Siberia," Albus answered, "Don't think we'll find any dittany near here."

"Nonsense," Scorpius scoffed, "my parents have a holiday home near here, I'll apparate us and we'll get you sorted."

"Okay," Albus nodded, feeling an odd thrill run through him at the thought of being alone in a house with Scorpius while cleaning his wounds…He shook his head, and then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Charlie!"

"What about your uncle?" Scorpius asked, confused.

"No, my noble – I mean, motorbike," Albus told him, standing up and walking over to where the bike lay.

"His name's Charlie, he's actually quite cool when you get over the excessive hyperness," he chuckled, kneeling down beside the bike and pulling out his wand.

"Reparo," he said, waving his wand over the bike, which immediately was knitted back together, looking shiny and new, "Charlie? Hey Charlie, what's wr-" he asked, reaching out to touch the bike.

It was cold. Not in a temperature way, but a magic way. Albus could feel the hum of magic that allowed it to fly, but the fairytale charm which had made it Charlie, was gone. Albus sighed, feeling a little sad, and stood, hauling it upright and walking it over to Scorpius, who stood up from the bed.

"Are you okay?" Scorpius asked, taking in the slight slump of his shoulders.

"Yeah, I just forgot that the charm to make him talk and everything would wear off at the end of the trial. I'll miss him a little, he was a great noble steed. I wish I could have told him."

"I'm sure he knew," Scorpius smiled, walking over and wrapping an arm around Albus' waist.

Albus leaned against him, rubbing his face against Scorpius' cheek, inhaling deeply the smell of cinnamon that always clung to him regardless.

"Ready to go?" Scorpius asked, in a wobbly voice, his hand fisting Albus' jacket tightly.

"Mmm," Albus nodded, his face rubbing against Scorpius' neck, upon which he placed a light kiss, feeling delirious that he could do this all the time now without having to question why he wanted to do it in the first place, or be in denial about his motivations.

Scorpius shivered, pulled Albus tight against him, and turned sharply.

They apparated in front of a large cottage, a far cry from the ostentatious Malfoy Manor, and Albus wondered if they were in the right place."

"My mother chose this," Scorpius told him, seeing the puzzled look on his face, "She doesn't particularly like the Manor, thinks it's too big and cold, so she wanted somewhere cosy so we can be near each other on our holidays," he sneered, but then smiled fondly as he finished, "She's terribly keen on family togetherness."

"My gran's the same," Albus smiled, "The Burrow could be falling down around us and she'd still try to pack the whole family in."

Scorpius laughed and lead Albus to the side of the cottage, where he parked his bike, and then into the cottage.

"I have a medical kit in my room," Scorpius told him, taking his hand and tugging him along.

Albus flashed him a look of surprise, which then melted into such a beautiful happy smile that Scorpius simply had to tug him close and kiss him softly on the mouth. Albus smiled against his lips and he cupped Scorpius' cheek kissing him back gently.

"Merlin, it's so good to be able to do that," Scorpius sighed as they parted, and continued walking down the hall.

"You can say that again."

"It's good to be able to do that."

"Har har," Albus deadpanned, as they stepped into Scorpius' room.

It was nicely sized, decorated in various shades of vibrant greens and cool blues, and Albus fell in love with the vibe of the room – it was totally Scorpius all over.

"Sit," Scorpius said, pushing Albus down on the bed, and turned to grab his medical kit.

Turning back around, he stalled, heat pooling in his belly at the sight of Albus sitting on his bed, shrugging off his jacket. Albus looked up and sent him a smirk, as though his knew exactly what was going through his mind, and Scorpius' brain fizzled a fraction, before he shook it off and knelt in front of the black-haired boy, opening his kit and pulling out dittany and antiseptic salve.

Albus stared down at him, his cock enjoying the sight a little too much and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think unsexy thoughts, so much so that he missed Scorpius talking to him, and yelped when he felt something cool run over his forehead.

"Are you listening to me?" Scorpius asked in an amused tone, "I just told you what I was going to do."

"Sorry, got a bit…distracted," Albus stuttered, blushing.

"Did you now?" Scorpius murmured, gazing up at him with hooded eyes.

He smirked then, and continued his ministrations on Albus' face as he said, "Well feel free to be distracted then."

Albus gulped and watched Scorpius as he put dittany on his cuts and burned, followed by the salve.

"Right, where else?"

"Um, my arms…and back and chest," Albus swallowed nervously.

Scorpius glanced sharply at him, before he said thickly, "Okay…we should take care of them."

He reached out with not-entirely-steady hands and gently pulled Albus' t-shirt off. Both tens were breathing more heavily than usual, and Scorpius couldn't help but look over Albus' bare torso. There were some burn marks and scratches dotted about, but nothing too bad luckily. The worst was a small claw mark on his shoulder, and without thinking, Scorpius leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on it. Albus made a low noise, his eyes closed, and Scorpius stared at him for a few moments more, before getting on with tending to his wounds. As he leaned forward to get the last one, he placed his free hand on Albus' leg, causing the teen to flinch and hiss in pain.

"What's wrong with your leg?"

"I, uh…I stabbed them," Albus admitted sheepishly.

"What?" Scorpius gaped, "Let me see them now."

Albus shuck his trousers and sat back, arousal gone in the face of Scorpius' pain and worry.

"Oh Albus…" Scorpius whispered, staring in horror at the angry red marks which littered Albus' thigh.

Quickly, he applied the dittany and salve, and then leaned down and kissed each mark slowly, lavishing them with lips and tongue and love and care.

Albus panted, his head falling back at the pleasure of Scorpius' ministrations. Unconsciously, Scorpius began to kiss around the marks and beyond, moving to the inside of his thigh and upward. There were things they needed to talk about from the trials, things Scorpius had told Dream-Albus that he needed to tell his Albus, but right now, he was overwhelmed by his actions, intoxicated by Albus and every sound and pant and movement he made. Scorpius reached the hem of Albus' boxers and pushed it up with his nose to kiss the revealed flesh, before he moved and nuzzled his face against Albus' erection. His head was spinning, and his breaths came in harsh gasps.

"Scorp," Albus moaned, grabbing Scorpius' shoulders and hauling him up into a desperate kiss.

In no time at all, they were naked, Albus pressing down against Scorpius, the two thrusting in a frenzied manner against each other, hands alternating between clutching desperately, and roaming greedily over every part of the body in reach.

"Albus, need you," Scorpius moaned as Albus attacked his neck with burning nips and licks, "need you, need you, neeeee... Please…oh please, now."

"Scorp, I – I've never-" Albus panted, slowing his hips marginally.

"I know," Scorpius said soothingly, stroking Albus' cheek, "I'll take care of you."

"Have you ever?"

"Yes. Once," Scorpius answered, half afraid Albus would be disgusted and not want him, "But it – I – I didn't want it like it want you, it was a mistake. Please Albus," he continued; bending his knees and cradling Albus' body between them, "you're all I've ever wanted."

"Oh Scorp," Albus sighed, "I need you too. Love you so much."

"Love you too," Scorpius smiled, and pulled him into a sweet kiss, that quickly turned desperate as they touched each other everywhere.

Albus bucked and groaned as Scorpius' hand found his cock, pumping it slowly, and he fumbled for his wand, quickly performing a lubrication spell. That done, he trailed a finger up Scorpius' leg, and slowly circled over his entrance. Scorpius twitched and his breath stuttered as Albus circled it lightly over and over again, his finger retreating when Scorpius' hips surged forward.

"Please Albus," Scorpius whined, hips straining.

Albus couldn't deny him and sank his finger in slowly, watching as Scorpius' mouth form an 'O' and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"More," Scorpius rasped, after a few moments of Albus carefully sliding his finger in and out.

Albus continued to prep Scorpius as slowly and thoroughly as possible, but there was an edge to his movement and in Scorpius' hips, which moved in time with his fingers. They needed this, were desperate to be joined, to know and feel that this was real, they were here and had each other. All too soon, Scorpius was crying out and shaking, hips straining, and Albus knew he was ready. He quickly lubed up his erection and slowly pushed in, holding Scorpius' gaze the whole time. When he was fully sheathed, he paused, panting, giving them both time to adjust.

"Oh, oh god…so tight Scorp…" he ground out as he fought desperately not to move, "Are you – are you okay?"

"Yes, oh yes," Scorpius hissed, "feels so good Al…need you to move…"

The other time Scorpius had done this had been painful, uncomfortable and humiliating, but now, he felt fully and warm and perfect and loved, and he never wanted it to end.

Albus started off with small, slow thrusts that evolved into longer, deeper and harder ones, while Scorpius wrapped his legs around his waist and keened and begged for more. Scorpius reached up, grabbed the headboard for leverage and moved in time with Albus' thrusts. The pace became frantic, and Albus quickly reached for Scorpius' cock, stroking it in time with their lovemaking. It was too much for the blond, who tensed and climaxed with a scream. Albus gave two more thrusts before he yelled and came, collapsing on top of Scorpius.

They lay together in a sweaty, sated tangle of limbs, before Albus slowly pulled out and rolled to the side, Scorpius curling up against his side.

"Ugh," Albus groaned, brain on the fritz and nerves pleasantly numb.

"Indeed," Scorpius panted, "That was amazing."

They kissed gently and snuggled up together, revelling in the afterglow. All too soon though, rumbling stomachs ruined the mood. Laughing, they pulled on boxers and padded out to the kitchen for food. When they had finished eating, Albus straddled Scorpius' lap to give him a 'thank you' kiss, and quickly they were making love again, Albus gasping and moaning as he rode Scorpius' cock, while Scorpius licked and bit at every piece of skin he could reach. They had another go in the shower, and fell asleep in each other's arms. They both woke up several times during the night: Albus to check on Scorpius, and Scorpius because he was afraid he was dreaming again. The next day, after their shower and breakfast, they decided they had better head home and let people know they were alive and safe.

"First though," Albus said when they were ready to go, "I want to pop in to see James."

"Why?"

"I want to see if Teddy actually picked up the nerve to tell him he likes him."

"You mean he finally caught on?" Scorpius smirked.

"Eventually," Albus smirked back, wrapping an arm around Scorpius and apparating them and the bike to Romania.

They popped up right beside James' house, and Albus took Scorpius' hand as they crept silently into his brother's home. Inside, Albus quickly located the invisibility cloak, and threw it over himself and Scorpius so they could move more freely about. The two boys snickered quietly between themselves as they crept around, feeling as giddy and high as they did when pulling pranks. They swept the whole house, Albus feeling ultimately disappointed when neither James nor Teddy were to be found.

They had convened in the kitchen, when Albus spotted them sitting out the back together at a battered wooden table, Teddy drinking tea and James lemonade. Teddy's back was to them so they couldn't see his face, but Albus guessed he was talking because James had his listening face on. James was most definitely the best listener Albus knew – he looked like he wanted to hear EVERYTHING you had to say. Scorpius had once remarked that it was slightly unnerving, but Teddy always drank it up, and would spend hours talking with James, beaming at the younger man.

"Do you think he's told them yet?" Scorpius whispered, resting his chin on Albus' shoulder.

Albus studied the two men a bit more and replied, "No, but he's going to."

"How can you tell?"

"He's fidgeting like crazy, which he only does when he's trying to get the courage to say something," Albus told him, "and his hair's blue. Blue always means he's feeling upset or bad. Red means angry, and green happy – the more vibrant the better."

"Ah, so that's why turquoise is his neutral colour."

"Pretty much."

The two teens watched James and Teddy some more, wishing they could hear what was going on. James obviously realised something was wrong with Teddy, and he reached out and put his hand over the older man's, cocking his head to the side as he spoke. Teddy's head bowed for a moment, and his hand turned over and entwined with James' before he looked back up again.

James looked worried, and then suddenly shocked, his eyes widening with hope and disbelief, and Albus saw him mouth, "You do?"

Teddy's hair turned a faint green, and he slowly nodded.

"Oh he told," Albus smiled.

"About time," Scorpius smirked, "I wonder how long until James drags him to the bedroom?"

"About 0.1 of a second I'd say," Albus chuckled.

However, James sat there, staring at Teddy in shock. His hand pulled away from the metamorphagus' and covered his mouth as he just sat there, and ten seconds later, he was still frozen in the same position. Teddy's hair dimmed and turned a murky, depressing blue and he abruptly stood, backing away a few steps.

"James, what the hell are you doing?!" Albus hissed, "You finally get what you want and you just sit there!"

"Maybe the shock is too much," Scorpius shrugged, though he too, silently urged James to DO SOMETHING.

Teddy gestured wildly, before his shoulders slumped, and he took a step away. He was about to turn, when James suddenly leapt on top of him, sending him tumbling back on the ground, before sealing their lips together. James pulled back, said something and then placed frantic little kisses all over Teddy's face and neck. Teddy snapped into action, and he wrapped his arms around James' neck and pulled him down into a torrid kiss. They clung to each other, kissing as if they'd never get the chance again, while Albus and Scorpius alternated between glancing at them, and anywhere else BUT them.

Eventually they parted, and just gazed at each other. James looked over Teddy wondrously, and as his gaze moved up, his chest heaved sharply and his gaze softened. He reached up and ran his fingers through Teddy's hair, which was the brightest, most vibrant green Albus had ever seen.

"Wow," Scorpius murmured.

"Wow," Albus echoed.

"We should probably go," Scorpius said, "it was bad enough seeing them kiss, and they look like they're going to devour each other."

"Agreed," Albus nodded, then paused and added, "Just two little things."

He pulled out his wand, charmed the door to play "Congratulations," whenever it was opened, then moved into the bedroom and charmed the bed to shout, "TEDDY AND JAMES, SITTING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" whenever someone touched it. Satisfied with his work, he put the cloak back, grabbed Scorpius, pulled him out to the bike and apparated them to the nearest place he could think of.

***

Louis shrieked and enveloped them in bone-crushing hugs and a flurry of cheek kisses when they popped up on his doorstep.

"Albus! Scorpius! It is so good to see you! Oh, and you brought my favourite sentient object with you – hello Charlie!" Louis sang, skipping up to the bike.

"Oh, the charm wore off Louis," Albus told him, "it's not Charlie anymore."

"Oh…how very tragic," Louis said in a woeful tone, as he knelt beside the bike, "Adieu Charlie, parting is such sweet sorrow."

He kissed the handlebars, sighed and then stood, beaming.

"Well!" he announced, ushering the teens into the house, "Now is not the time for mourning, Charlie would not have wanted that. No, it is a time of celebration! I take it that you have completed the trials?"

Albus nodded and Scorpius smiled.

"And you have admitted your feelings?"

Scorpius and Albus glanced at each other, smiled and held hands. Louis bit his lips, looking for all the world like he was about to cry, before he clasped his hands over his heart.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "I am so happy for you both! Your love, it is palpable, so beautiful! Wine! He simply must have wine!" he declared, marching them into the kitchen.

"Just a little Louis," Albus warned, "no karaoke."

"But of course," Louis said dismissively, sitting them down and disappearing to get a bottle.

***

Albus woke up with a pounding head and a chuckling Scorpius.

"Good morning," Scorpius said sweetly, kissing his head.

"Ugh," Albus moaned, not trusting himself to move.

"I didn't know you were such a good singer," Scorpius said lightly, his tone teasing, "but honestly Albus, Celine Dion?"

"Shurrup," Albus groaned, swatting at him lazily.

"Aw, I'm hurt," Scorpius pouted, "and I've got the cure to your little problem and all."

Albus cracked an eye open and saw Scorpius holding a small vial in front of him. He shifted and tried to grab it, but Scorpius pulled it away, a maddening smirk on his lips.

"Nah ah ah, what's the magic word?"

Albus could think of a few suitable choice words, but sighed and said, "Please Scorpius."

"Of course darling," Scorpius replied, handing him the vial.

Albus uncorked it and drank the potion, sighing in relief when his headache started to abate.

"Not very nice of you to torture your boyfriend like that," Albus murmured petulantly, glaring up at Scorpius.

The blond chuckled, smoothed Albus hair back and kissed his forehead.

"Sorry," he said, "I couldn't help myself, you're so cute when you're hungover and grumpy."

"Fuck off," Albus grinned good-naturedly, sitting up beside him, "were you drunk at all?"

"I was drunk enough to appreciate the karaoke, but not drunk enough to partake in it."

The living room door opened and Louis danced in, singing to himself.

"Ah, Albus you are finally awake!" he cheered, then knelt down beside him and whined, "Scorpius is being very mean to me, he will not tell me anything about his trials, simply because he has yet to tell you!"

"I think Albus should be told first," Scorpius sighed in an exasperated manner.

"You do?" Albus asked, the same moment as Louis said, "Psssccchhhh!"

"Yes," Scorpius smiled, and kissed him softly.

"Le sigh, I cannot stay mad in the face of such love," Louis sighed, then stood and said, "Come, breakfast is ready."

The three ate their fill, Louis filling them in on the family gossip: Victoire had taken a drastic step and attempted to make amorentia sweets for Teddy ("It is only so he can get a TASTE of what it is to love me, and when it wears off he's realise that he likes feeling that way a lot," was her explanation). Unfortunately, her mother had discovered this, and had severely chastised her for it, so she was sulking in the family home refusing to talk to anyone. Also, on the search for Crookshanks, Aunt Hermione had come across Hugo's stash of gillyweed, and incredibly, had believed him when he told her it was for research purposes. Lastly, Molly and Lucy had run away with a bunch of groupies for the wizarding band 'Wolfsbane and Deadly Kisses,' and Uncle Percy had practically bribed Harry into sending aurors after them.

Albus and Scorpius in turn filled him in on the latest development with James and Teddy. Louis had cackled over Victoire's inevitable reaction, and then sighed in happiness about how brilliant it was that everyone was finally finding love.

Eventually it was time to leave, and Louis bestowed more hugs and kiss on them, along with two bottles of wine, and a promise to visit him soon.

"Do you want to fly or apparate?" Albus asked, as they stood by the bike.

"Fly," Scorpius replied, "I want to spend as much time with you as I can before I have to go home."

"Albus beamed, and they hopped on the bike, Scorpius pressed tight against him. They spent the ride telling each other about the trials and what had happened to them, and pulled up outside the Potter house by mid-evening. They were barely five minutes in the door when Draco apparted in, immediately grabbing Scorpius in a tight hug, surprising him to no end.

"I'm apparating you straight home, and you will not be leaving until I say so," he barked, clinging to Scorpius as though frightened he would vanish at any second.

"Well Albus can visit"-

"No," Draco snapped, "It will do you good to spend some time apart."

"But we have been!" Albus protested.

"We just found each other father," Scorpius added, eyes large and pleading.

"I think your father's right Scorpius," Harry said gently, "Not for the whole summer, but a little space might be good."

"But dad!"

"No buts," Harry said firmly.

Albus and Scorpius glowered at their respective fathers, and then Scorpius sighed and said, "Can I at least say goodbye?"

"Of course," Draco said roughly, slowly releasing him.

Scorpius stepped forward and pulled Albus into a hug, not wanting to let him go.

"Write to me," Albus asked softly.

"Only if you write to me."

"Deal."

And then, not giving a toss about their audience, they kissed, trying to pour every emotion and unspoken vow into it as they held each other tenderly. Harry and Draco made strangled noises of protest, and they pulled apart, smirking at each other.

"Scorpius Hyperion Mal-" Draco started, when Scorpius cut him off saying, "You're separating us for Merlin knows how long, it serves you right."

Draco looked shocked, and then scowled and said, "Fine. Let's go."

Scorpius gave Albus one last hug, a peck on the lips and stepped beside his father. Draco gave Harry a curt nod and apparated himself and Scorpius away. Albus continued to stare at the spot where his boyfriend had been, not wanting to deal with anything just yet. His dad cleared his throat and said, "So, you and Scorpius?"

"Yeah," Albus replied quietly, "I love him."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he muttered, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…I eh…I don't have to give you The Talk do I?" he asked hesitantly, smiling a little.

"Well seeing as you've just separated us I doubt it will be a problem anytime soon," Albus replied sardonically, his eyes glinting as he added, "You might want to pop over to see James though; last time I check he and Teddy were getting along very well."

Harry gaped in shock at him, before he snorted and said, "I hoped that was just a phase."

"Twenty one years if a pretty long phase."

"Ugh," Harry groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face, "I love them, and as long as they're happy I'm happy."

"Keep telling yourself that dad," Albus smirked, patting him on the shoulder as he walked past him, "I'm going to comfort eat."

***

Albus and Scorpius milked their separation for all it was worth - Scorpius languished impressively about the Manor while Michelle Branch wailed about love and saying goodbye, while Albus made a half-hearted attempt at weeding, and ended up conjuring forget-me-nots around the house. They wrote proper letters to each other, but also sent each other howlers, moaning with impressive prose about their doomed love affair and heartbreak and the like. Harry and Draco managed to put up with it for two weeks before giving in and allowing them to see each other (of course this had NOTHING to do with the return of Astoria and Ginny from visiting their respective parents). Scorpius and Albus, much cheered, were glued at the hip, and spent the next number of weeks flying about on Albus' bike, using an old, abandoned train station for shagging each other senseless and getting away from their houses.

When their NEWT results (all Os and Es) arrived, Molly Weasley demanded to host a celebratory party at the Burrow. She spent three days on a giant six-tiered cake for Albus and Scorpius, while everyone prepared the house and grounds for the invasion. Lily supplied the music on the day, insisting on playing "The Graduation Song," by Vitamin C, her latest favourite band, several times, while George and Ron supplied the fireworks (and Hugo the gillyweed, but only in a packet for Albus and Scorpius to use wisely). Teddy and James appeared in the middle of the gathering, looking rather flushed and rumpled, and Albus saw his dad give them a stern talking-to, before he smiled, shook his head and hugged them both fiercely.

Astoria, as it turned out, was an emotional soul it seemed: she took a million photos of absolutely EVERYTHING, randomly hugged Albus and Scorpius every now and then, and cried over how grown up "her boys" were (Draco rolled his eyes at this, but was seen trying to 'get something out of his eye' later on). The party was a giant success, and Scorpius even managed to get Albus up for a dance, Astoria furiously capturing the moment, sniffing happily, while Ginny patted her shoulder and beamed at the two boys.

Coming up to the end of the summer, with the help of their families, Albus and Scorpius managed to get an apartment on the outskirts of London. They quickly moved their things in and spent three days "christening," every room several times, eating too much take away, drinking too much wine, and generally having a mini honeymoon, before finally preparing to start their mediwizard training. They took turns cleaning and cooking, and started making tentative, hopeful plans for the future: where to settle down, opening their business, marriage, children, holidays. There were agreements, disagreements and compromises, but on one thing they were both adamant: no more trials!

THE END

**A/N:** Well there we go! The Summer Trials are officially over! I've had the most fun ever writing this it's been an absolute blast, and I'm pleased to say that in all my years of writing fanfiction previous to this, this is my first ever completed WIP (which is why I can never go back here under my old name as there are people baying for my blood!) so I'm well happy with it!

There are a few thank yous I'd like to make: firstly a MASSIVE thank you to my beta dwarfandelf, thank you so SO much, this story would not have been half as fabulous if it wasn't for your criticism and wonderful inputs! :D

Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who commented: and everyone who took the time to read my little story, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!

Sláinte!! :D


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